Fatal Encounters
by ShojoChick
Summary: Since ancient times, Werewolves and Vampires have been bitter foes. What will happen when two of them fall in love? LightxL ?xOC
1. Prologue

**This story kinda came at me out of the blue, and once I get an idea, I have to start writing. And it kinda helps too, since I'm stuck on my other story**

WARNING: **You do NOT need to read this. This is only a prologue. It has nothing to do with the story and I- at the recommendation of my offline friends- write down that you do NOT have to read this. (Didn't I already say that?) Though the next chapter might make more sense if you read this. But its up to you. **

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It was a beautiful day to be sailing. The sky was clear and the sun shone brightly. The ocean was calm with only the occasional waves, its aqua waters gentle and serene. A fully-rigged ship, painted black, sailed leisurely across the open sea. Its immense sails, a dark blue color, were trimmed with no signs of slack. It was an unusual looking ship, one that rarely shows in this part of the sea.

There was no one to be seen. On a ship as large and grand as this, there would be many sailors and shipmen out and about to keep everything in order and to make sure things ran smoothly. Yet there were no signs of life aboard. The ship was free of rats, which that by itself could cause a sailor to shake, and not even the birds, who have been traveling for days on end, would land on this eerily empty ship. The windows were curtained with thick material from the inside and its doors were sealed shut.

The sun set slowly and turned the waters into an ocean of blood, but still there was no stirring in the ominous ship. As the sun sank beneath the ocean waves, the wind that carried the ship died down to a gentle breeze. The ship was almost invisible now within the darkness, if it wasn't for the slow flapping of the sails anyone would have gone right past it without even knowing it. A tremor passed. The sails became undone on their own and the ship slowed down until it came to stop in the black waters.

All doors on the ship swung opened simultaneously, both from the cabins above the deck and below. It was still for a moment, then a small noise echoed from inside one of the upper rooms. A woman in her mid-twenties stepped out from her cabin. She was dressed entirely in white, a simple long-sleeved white dress with a low bodice, and as she walked tentatively out to the middle of the deck, her white gown showed brightly under the moonlight. She was a comely creature, svelte with her wavy beige hair cascading down her heart-shaped face, which was enchanting to behold. Soon a handful number of people, around forty or so, flooded out of the upper cabins and joined the woman on deck. All of them were of different nationalities and all of them were dressed in white.

They made no noise, but stood together in silent anticipation, gazing at the open hatch that leads to the quarters below.

Then_ they_ came, skulking up from the darkness. Adorned in dark cloaks that showed only the bottom parts of their face, you had no idea who, or _what_, hides within. A passing cloud overhead blocks the moon, but its shadow fell only upon the creatures of dark.

The two groups faced each other, those to the left glowing faintly like ghosts under the soft light, and those to the right shrouded under the dark shadow of clouds and hidden under the hoods of their cloaks. One of the first to step up onto the deck boldly strode toward the people in white.

"The first offering?" A deep male voice rumbled from the cloaked figure.

A small clamor came from inside the heart of the white group, a short heated argument, and then a young woman was stepped forward. It was the first one to brave the dark night, our pretty little warrior. She walked up to the man until she was only a few feet from him.

"_Ahhhh!"_ The man exclaimed with satisfaction. "Such beauty!" He smiled, revealing a set of dangerous fangs.

Her eyes grew fearful and she took a timid step away from him. There was a sharp intake of breath from the people behind her.

The man's smile only grew. "You are cold" He remarked. Indeed, the woman was shaking, her skin a light tinge of blue, and she was hugging her arms to herself. He opened up his cloak to her. "Come, warm yourself"

Tentatively, and plainly unwillingly, she stepped up to the hooded man and allowed him to wrap his cloak around her. Her head barely came up to his shoulder.

"Will you let me then?" He asked in a lulling voice. The woman looked hesitant, but then nodded. He gently cupped her chin and tilted her head so her neck showed bare. A whimper escaped from her sealed lips and the man moved his hand to her cheek.

"Shhhh, my darling" The man said. He lowered his head toward her. "It will only hurt for a moment." With that he sank his teeth into her neck.

And so the feast begins.

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**Hmmm, yeah, not exactly starting off with any of the characters I should be using****. Well, it **_**is**_** a prologue after all. Plus I know it's not a very good start, but bear with me. XP**


	2. Feeding Frenzy

**I don't want to spoil anything, but since I was asked by my very first reviewer (love ya forever for that!) I guess I can answer a few reviews. Prior to your question, I'm an old-fashion fangirl who was taught by an old-fashion fangirl, (Thanks for teaching a noob Rikki!) And she taught me it was always semexuke. Fanfiction pairing labels definitely confuses me. I can't even tell who's the seme and uke anymore. And as to chibi-eru's review, well, try not be too disappointed. ;P**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Death Note. Damn. T-T**

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They fed because of the hunger. They fed because of the _thirst_. No one would miss a feast, and everyone aboard was ordered to attend. A starving vampire was a very risky thing, and many a time a starving vampire would leave a donor dead. They must never allow death to claim a donor on this ship. Oh no, death would make their donors a little less willing, a little less trusting, at the next feast. And they preferred them willing. Blood given freely tastes sweeter than blood taken by force.

But there was one person who would not take part of tonights feast.

A cabin, whose door stayed sealed shut during the beginning, now slowly opened inwardly, and out walked a young girl. Her cabin was close to those of the donors, but she did not wear the white that would mark her as one, nor did she wear the dark hooded cloaks of the others. Her dress, which was of a rich red material with dark embroideries sewed deftly onto the front, showed that she was of high status, if not a rich merchants daughter than that of a noble born.

The girl quietly closed the door to her cabin, then leaned against it with her hands tucked neatly behind her. She looked to be barely halfway out of her teens, perhaps fifteen or sixteen. Her eyes were the purest color of the darkest black and her hair was the same glossy shade of darkness. She wasn't too skinny and not too fat, but perfectly slender. Her pale skin, which was blindingly white under the moonlight, had neither blemish nor scar and her hands looked like the saw no signs of labor in her short years. She wore a silver ring on two fingers for each hand, and her nails were beautifully manicured and filed to a slightly sharp point. The girl looked about the deck, her observant eyes drinking in all that was going on, but no trace of emotion could be read from her face.

Away from her sharp eyes, a soft breeze spun itself around a donor and her vampire, whom was in the middle of his feeding, and then swept past the girl, ruffling her hair. The girl tensed up, a peculiar look crossing over her face. She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and sighed deeply, one of dark longing. She raised a pale hand to her lips, but not before the gleam of her fangs shone from the moonlight.

No, she was not a donor. She was one of them.

o.O.o

Goddess, how she hated this hunger. The young girl kept the irritation from showing on her face. She wasn't ready yet to let her people see this different side of her.

_They themselves might not be able to handle it, the silly things._ She thought with a fond smile, but then she felt the hunger, a sharp pang that tightened her belly in pain, and her smile fell. She let a small form of weakness show and a dissatisfied hiss escape her lips. _Augh,_ _it's gotten so bad that it hurts to breathe!_

She gently massaged her throat, taking quick gulps of air. What she wouldn't give to cuddle up with a cute little donor and purge this damn thirst of hers.

She sighed regretfully. To bad she had things to do first. Carefully smoothing out the front of her dress, she threw her shoulders back, raised her head high, stared fixedly ahead, and strode purposely across the deck toward the hatch. She paused at the top of the stairs. Her face was perfectly blank, but the slight twitch of her fingers told that her mind was at unease. Since she first stepped onto this ship, that short month ago, she had hated the cabins bellow. She had begged the captain, in private and in a dignified manner, to be allowed to have a cabin up here on the deck, instead of the one 'especially reserved just for her', or as they had so crudely told her. She didn't like it because the air down there was always stale and stank of clotted blood. She descended down wearily into the dark nonetheless.

The air was even worse than the last time she was here, and it took everything she had not to start gagging. She ran down the empty corridor until she could go no further, and stood in front of one of the last doors. It was different than the other doors. This was made of a stronger, darker type of wood and the doorknob was made of crystal, whereas the other doors had brass doorknobs.

A large gothic **L** was nailed on the front.

She gave a brief knocked, more out of habit than politeness, and opened the door. Deliciously cool wind brushed past her face, ridding the foul air that hung about her but she frowned. _Where did this wind come from? _

It was dark inside, but her keen vampire eyesight caught the source of the wind, an opened port window swinging wildly about and squeaking shrilly. She also spotted the large lump on the bed, someone plainly hiding themselves under their covers.

"You'll catch a cold if you leave that thing open, my lord" Without waiting for an answer, she walked over to the window and locked it shut. "There, much better."

But the bad air was starting to come back, so she quickly stepped back to the door and closed it. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the person on the bed had not moved.

"A tad tired this evening, my lord?" She asked, not expecting an answer and not getting one. "Lord? Are you dead under there?" No movement, not a rustle, and certainly no form of greeting.

_Sigh…_

"Must you be like this so early tonight?" She complained, walking over and sitting next to the lump. "You will do no one good starving yourself."

Again, no answer.

"Ryuuzaki, please come out" She asked, using the childhood pet name in hopes of coaxing him from his hiding place. No such luck. Finally losing all patience, she said, "Brother, if you don't get up right now I will leave, bring back a bucket of cold sea water, and dump it all over your royally spoiled-ass!"

Her effort was finally rewarded and black spikes of hair poked out from the edges of the blanket, followed by the beginnings of a humanly shape. A young man of eighteen or so hulled himself out from his hiding spot. A thin, white long-sleeved shirt clung to his slim frame, and he wore a simple pair of blue pants. Dark rings hung under his eyes, telling tales of many sleepless nights. He sat down next to her, but instead of sitting normally he pulled his legs up and hugged his knees to his chest with spindly arms. He rested his head on his knees and started at her inquiringly from under his dark bangs.

"Would you really do that, Evelyn?" Ryuuzaki asked her skeptically. His face, as ever, was blank, but she could read the amusement in his onyx colored eyes.

"I would have and I still might!" Evelyn said scowling, but she was secretly relieved. She really thought she would have to drag him out. Again. Evelyn reached out and patted his head. "Good boy." She said, running her fingers through his surprisingly silky locks.

"Stop that, I'm not a child!" Ryuuzaki protested, causing her to smile and bite back a giggle.

"Continue to act like one and I will continue to treat you as such!" Evelyn retorted, but she withdrew her hand. "Are you going to join the feast tonight?" She asked.

He said nothing, and only drew his legs closer to his chest. "I don't want to." Ryuuzaki said at last.

Evelyn shook her head. "You can't starve yourself, Ryuuzaki. You have to feed. What is it?" She tilted her head to one side in thought. "Are there no donor's you like? Will none of them take you? Are they being mean to you? Are there no donor's left when you go? Are you sick?" Each question she asked Ryuuzaki shook his head at, until she ended feeling quite confused. "Eh? Then what's wrong?" She asked in exasperation.

"…I do not like their blood." He said quietly.

"Huh?"

"The donors… all of them… their blood is disgusting." Ryuuzaki said bluntly.

"Well that's not very nice." Evelyn said.

"It's the truth." Ryuuzaki shrugged helplessly. "It's always vile and icky." He added childishly.

Evelyn stared at him completely stunned. Suddenly, she started to giggle. She giggled so much her sides started to hurt and she fell onto the bed, using the mattress to muffle her peals of laughter.

"What?" She heard Ryuuzaki ask in annoyance.

"Our dark lord prince, he who commands the most powerful vampires in the world— is a fussy eater!?" Evelyn exploded in another fit of laughter.

"I don't find that so funny." Ryuuzaki muttered sullenly. Evelyn stifled her giggles and sat up.

"Aw, I meant no harm, brother." Evelyn said soothingly. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Look at you. You look like death warmed over! You need blood. I will get the funnel if I have to!" she added threateningly.

"I-I can't." Ryuuzaki hunched even further into himself. The movement so subtle, Evelyn might have missed it if she wasn't watching him intently, searching for any signs of the hungers consequences. "Whenever I try… I feel like throwing up. I hate their blood, it always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

Evelyn sighed again. _A vampire like that never lives long, even one as sweet as you, prince._ She thought, remembering many others that have fallen. That was why she was here. It was her job that their prince was well, that he drank blood. But it wasn't because he was their prince that Evelyn did this. It was because she loved him and he was her brother. She would make sure he drank blood. She would force it down his throat unawares if she had too.

Evelyn tried to wrap Ryuuzaki in a hug, something she hadn't done in a long time, and he reacted instinctively. He drew away, shyness and natural solitariness being one of his worst weaknesses, so she shouldn't have thought much of the reaction, but Evelyn shot Ryuuzaki a hurt glare.

"Its not the noble who wants to hug you, Goddess curse it!" She doesn't mind it when he acts like that with other people, but she was family! Ryuuzaki hesitated, then let her hug him.

"Stupid, stupid, stubborn prince!" Evelyn chided him gently. "You will be the death of me, I just know it!"

"I'm sorry, Evelyn." He said in his quiet manner. "I know you want to help, but… blood makes me remember too many things. It makes me remember when my mother died."

Evelyn flinched at his words, forever a bitter reminder of one of her greatest failures. A dark stab of guilt cut through her hunger and she resisted the urge to bite her lower lip, something she did when she was a child and on the verge of tears.

_My poor little princeling, you have experienced more pain and suffering than any other vampire in their lifetime but it will never end for you. _Evelyn thought ruefully, hugging Ryuuzaki closer and murmuring words of reassurance_. I hope you don't hate me for this._

Behind the safety of his back she angled her wrists down and felt the small knife she had hidden in her sleeves slip into her hands_._ Evelyn pressed the cold blade in the soft flesh of her palm and hissed at the clean incision of pain."_Ow, ow, ow_…!"

She felt Ryuuzaki stiffen in her arms, no doubt already caught the scent of blood. "Evelyn, wha—?"

Evelyn let him no time to finish and clamped her bleeding hand over his open mouth. Ryuuzaki was bigger than her— okay not really— but he was a dangerous fighter and could bring a raving berserker to his knees. If it wasn't for the fact that weeks of no blood have made him weak, Evelyn may not have been able to keep Ryuuzaki in her arms. It was a brief struggle, but then the hunger soon overwhelmed Ryuuzaki, as it did to all vampires at one point, and he was drinking away at her blood. Evelyn winced when Ryuuzaki's fangs bite into her wound, but she did not cry out, and it was soon replace with a prickling numbness.

She closed her eyes and listened as her heartbeat flooded her hearing, drowning out all sound. Evelyn didn't know how it worked exactly, but during the process of being fed on, you can hear your heartbeat quite clearly and loud. It helped warn the donor when it was time to stop their vampire, because sometimes vampires were too caught up in their hunger to be careful. So of course Evelyn knew something was wrong. As Ryuuzaki greedily drank her blood, Evelyn realized her heartbeat was slowing down. If she didn't end it now her heart would stop. She tried to jerk her hand away, but Ryuuzaki grabbed her wrist and forced it back to his lips. Ryuuzaki was becoming stronger with every fatal second and now Evelyn was the helpless one.

"Bro-brother—! Let go—! Enough…!" She pleaded uselessly, her vision already turning dark. Before she blacked out, Evelyn could have sworn she saw the door burst open. Was that Watari in the doorway? Oh Goddess, he looks mad.

_I'm sorry Watari, I messed things up._

_Again._

x.X.x

Not too far away from the vampire ship, there was land. On the coast of this land, there was a shipping-port. Part of this port, there was a city. In this city, there were people. They were all asleep, but a hunter was prowling their empty streets.

A large animal, much too large to be a dog yet much too small to be a bear, but something close to a wolf, raced down each street. Its fur was sleek and a perfect brown and at first sight it was a powerful creature, with lean, strong muscles. It looked out of place in the dark dank streets of the city, and it seemed to know it was lost. It ran through the streets in desperation, but the wolf knew well not to howl its frustration.

A dark menacing cloud pushed itself in front of the moon; casting everything in darkness so thick you could not see your hand even if you put it right in front of your face. As quickly as it came, the cloud left, letting the moon shed its light on the large town. A young auburn haired man stood in the place the large wolf was moments before. There was a feral gleam that was fading in his dark brown eyes and he stood under the moonlight panting, as if stopping after a long run. He was also stark naked.

Raito Yagami looked up at the sky and saw that the moon was shining directly above him. _Damn, it's later than I thought it was._ He thought with irritation. Raito would really have to try and control himself at the next hunt. Then he looked around at his surroundings. _Where the hell—?_

Somehow he had gotten into the human's town. Not only that, but he was down by the harbor, so close to the docks that he had one leg on the wooden planks.

_Shit! _There would be hell to pay if the humans caught him in now. The werewolves had their rules and so did humans. The humans allowed the werewolves to enter their town but only during the day, and the werewolves promised not to hunt in their streets. If they caught a werewolf in their town at night… well, let's say it would be very bad. Thankfully though, the humans here were stupid. The only way they can tell a human and werewolf apart was if they were in wolf form. But since you can't wear clothes during the change— you could but then the clothes would be destroyed— being found naked is another way of being found as a werewolf. This, unfortunately, Raito was right now.

Raito looked across the streets, away from the docks and at the buildings, searching for something, anything. Luck was on his side tonight. Hanging over the ledge of an open window was a pair of brown breeches. Raito walked to the window, unabashed in his current attire, and grabbed the pair of pants. He quickly changed into the stolen clothes. They were worn and dirty, and a size too big, but they were the only thing on hand at right now.

_Okay, if I stick to the shadows I can meet up with everyone back at the— _Raito's thought fell away when he saw the ship.

It drifted into the harbor then came to a calm stop at one of the decks. It was normal enough to see a ship come into town, even late at night. But Raito caught the stench of blood. No, not blood from an animal, nor from a fish. Human. It was human blood, and not just from one, but several. Raito studied the ship with new interest, his mind racing at the guesses of what the dark ship might contain. That was when Raito spotted the boy. His mind went blank.

The first thing that Raito should have thought was; _this guy's weird_. For one thing, his posture was terrible. He was hunched forward too much and his back was arched, like there was a huge weight crushing down on him. There were dark rings under his eyes, and weren't normal either. Instead of the regular purple bruise color, the skin looked black. He was on the skinny side and the clothes he was wearing were too drab for Light's tastes (Though he didn't really have a right to judge anyone's clothing at the moment). Raito also realized that he was a very, _very_ pretty boy in spite of all of it.

The boy flinched, as if feeling Raito's gaze on him, and he looked around. When the boys eyes rested on Raito, he gave the boy his most brilliant smile. Raito did not expect the reaction he would get. The boy's mouth dropped slightly agape and the look on his was one of bewilderment— and worry.

Defiantly not a good sign.

The boy continued to stare at Light with open shock. In his confusion, Raito licked his dry lips and blinked in surprise. Blood covered his entire muzzle— er, mouth— and was dripping from his cheeks.

_It must have been during the hunt! _No wonder he was staring! Raito took his eyes of him for a minute, purely to wipe away the last remnants of tonight's feverish hunt, but when Raito looked back he was gone.

_Eh? Where did he—?_

v.V.v

Ryuuzaki stayed exactly where he was, lying face down on the deck floor, his heart beating erratically. There was an unfamiliar feeling in his stomach, like the fluttering of a million smallish wings, and he felt like throwing up. There was also a definite heat coloring his normally pale cheeks. Though he didn't know how exactly, somehow it was because of that other person.

_Who is he anyway?_

Most likely he was a human local out for a nightly stroll. But then what about the blood? Yes, what about the blood Ryuuzaki saw glistening around his mouth? Could he be a vampire? But Watari would have told him if there were any vampires here. Ryuuzaki didn't know, and he really didn't like not knowing things. He squeezed his eyes shut. Ryuuzaki really didn't like this feeling either. He couldn't breathe. But he did like that small warmth he felt when he caught the boy looking at him.

"Lord L? What are you doing on the floor?" Ryuuzaki heard a feminine voice ask above him. His eyes snapped open. He leaped to his feet and faced the newcomer.

"Evelyn!!" Acting on an unvampire-like impulse, Ryuuzaki threw his arms around the younger girl. "Evelyn." He repeated, more quietly this time, in a much more controlled voice, but he buried his head in her hair and repeated the name over and over again. He was afraid to let go. It was a silly fear, but for a second Ryuuzaki was afraid that if he let Evelyn go, he would find out she wasn't real. What a cliché moment.

"Wow, I feel the love." Evelyn said, giggling softly. Her laughter was music to his ears, and assured Ryuuzaki that she was real. "Okay, leggo! You're heavy!"

She squirmed until he let go of her reluctantly.

"You are alright? Nothing hurts?" Ryuuzaki grabbed Evelyn's wrists and did a quick inspection on her hand. Not surprising, the palm he had feed on was unmarred. Being a vampire, your wounds heal ten times faster than a human and you don't get scars. It still didn't make him feel better.

"Nothing that a little donor blood couldn't help fix." She assured him. "Why? What do you think happened?"

"Well, I thought—" _I thought I killed you._ Ryuuzaki wasn't about to admit that. That would only start her off. "Where were you? How come nobody told me you were alright?"

"You ran off. Everybody knows better than to bother you when you wish to be alone." Evelyn began. "But if you must know, I just spent the last five minutes getting yelled at by Watari for being an idiot, in his doting grandfather sort of way." Ryuuzaki nodded in understanding. Watari was a very caring guardian, but he wasn't very good at discipline. That was more of Roger's thing. "He also said I should have put it in a goblet." She didn't need to say what 'it' was. "The thought crossed my mind. I might have too… if I didn't think that you would have slapped it out of my hands" Evelyn eyed Ryuuzaki with a smirk. "Am I right?"

Ryuuzaki fidgeted in place, annoyed. He hated it when she was right. "Your status of a rash idiot has gone up 15 percent." Ryuuzaki muttered. He let his eyes drop to the deck, unsure of what to say next. "…I'm sorry I did that to you, Evelyn. I suppose you hate me now." There was no point in asking. It was a plus of being a vampire, but you still felt the pain. And vampires were more sensitive to everything than humans. Pain was bad for vampires, very bad. And he caused Evelyn pain. A lot of pain. _Goddess, I'm going to burn in the deepest pits of Hell for my sins…_

"Hey, stop that. It was my fault anyway." Evelyn said, startling Ryuuzaki out of his self-loathing. She brushed back his bangs so now he was looking directly in her eyes. "I did what I had to do. I don't regret it. And it worked didn't it? You look a lot better than before. Perhaps a little too warm…" Ryuuzaki saw the familiar worried frown form. "Hey—? Are you alright? Did something happen?"

"I saw something on the docks—" _Shoot!_ He forgot about him. Ryuuzaki spun around and looked down at the docks, but the harbor was empty. The boy had left while he was preoccupied. Ryuuzaki nibbled his thumb and tried to hide his disappointment. "Never mind, it's nothing." He said, turning away impassively.

Evelyn looked unconvinced, but she must have read something in his face, because she dropped it. She joined him by the railing and they stood together in silence, but it wasn't at all unpleasant. Ryuuzaki liked the silence. It gave him time to collect himself.

"My, what a wonderful city this is." Ryuuzaki heard Evelyn marvel.

"It's alright…" He said, but if she heard the doubt she ignored it.

"Oh!" He heard her sharp intake of breath. "Can you hear it, brother? Can you hear the pretty little tune it sings?"

Ryuuzaki smiled at the child-like giddiness in her voice. "Aye, Evelyn, and it is a pretty tune indeed."

He closed his eyes and listened, searching for the sound only they can hear and it came almost instantly. It was a soft, rhythmic, nostalgic rumble that caused an empty aching inside. It was the beating of hundreds of heartbeats, the gentle rumble that was human life. The noise was enough to send any vampire on a killing spree. But Ryuuzaki was full and content. The blood chant had no hold over him at that moment, and for once he could actually enjoy the pleasant sound.

"Welcome to our new home, brother." Ryuuzaki looked side-long at Evelyn. Anticipation and excitement practically dripped from her voice, and her eyes were glowing. "We'll give them a real taste of Hell, eh?"

"Eh." Ryuuzaki said in agreement. Ryuuzaki leaned over the railing and stared at the solemn looking town._ And maybe I can find him again. _He thought to himself. Even if it caused another attack of the strange flutterings again, Ryuuzaki couldn't help remembering that the boy was very handsome.

He had a very nice smile too.

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**A/N: I never knew the ages of the wammy boys so give me a break! Jeez… up until somebody showed me this certain site, I thought L was the same age as Light. So now I know better… but! I'm still keeping the age I gave him! It's just annoying to change my whole story because of something so small. And yes, I know a lot of people expected Light to be the vampire, but seriously… it didn't feel right to me. I mean, come on! Nobody has a perfect tan on a body like that without some form of sunlight! (I admit though, Light does have the scariness to be a vampire.) So's… hoped you liked it. :3**

PS TO MY READERS:** I need reviews!! How's a noob writer suppose to get better at writing if ya people won't criticize a girl!? Please!! Don't make me grovel, cuz I swear I will! DX**

**Til next time loyal readers, _Ciao!_**


	3. Birthright

**YAY! More reviews! –Faints in happiness- **

**Sorry for the wait. You can blame it on High School testing, writer's block, and the sweet addiction that is gaiaonline! XD …okay, not very good excuses. Me's is sorry. -bows- I **_**do**_** promise to add a lot in my chapters the longer between I don't upload them. **

**Hey Sioen, thanks for the awesome review. ^-^ I love questions! It tells me that people are reading, liking, and actually paying attention to my story. Yay! Yeah, my story is all about a sexy seme Light and an adorable uke L. I'm okay with the whole 'switch roles' relationships that other writer do, but I don't know how to write those. I **_**am **_**a noob writer, you know. To everyone else's questions, I guess I gotta add more info in my chapters huh? Don't worry, I'll try. **

**I don't know how to start if off, so I'm going to begin my chapters with a POV moment. You can figure out who it is and all of them will reveal a secret or two about the story, if you know were to look. Most of them will be pretty obvious though. Maybe this one. Maybe not. **

**Oh, and this chapter might be a little angsty. It's my first time trying angst, so it might not be angst at all.**

**Disclaimer: I've said it once; I've said it a million times. I DON'T OWN DEATH NOTE! Stop making me cry! T-T**

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When my mother died, my entire world was shattered. Why? What did my mother ever do? She loved me like any mother would. More even. She would wake me when I had a nightmare, then rock me back to sleep with a lullaby and a kiss. Why my mother? They took her away from me, those savage beasts that howled to the moon and bathed in my clan's blood. Filthy werewolves.

_I hate them._

They massacred my entire clan, but they didn't kill me. They didn't know I was there, hiding. So I killed them. While they were in a drunken slumber on stolen wine and warm blood, I killed them. I locked them in the chapel, my clan's sanctuary, the temple of our Goddess, and I set it ablaze. I burned them alive, the werewolves who destroyed my clan and killed my mother. I listened to their screams. I watched them burn. I was four years old.

I thought I was alone. Then they came and got me, and old man and an old woman. Watari was the old man. He was a vampire who gathered orphaned children like me. The old woman was a vampire called Lilithe. She was a Mother. She was my grandmother. I was not alone after all.

They took me away and brought me to another clan. I was not alone. I was happy. My grandmother loved me, and taught me things, secret things. No one knew she taught me. She made me swear not to tell.

"If they found out, they will take you away from me." She told me. I promised. I loved my grandmother. She made me remember how to smile again. Then she died. I was there when she passed. I hadn't even turn five yet. Then they wanted to drain her blood before it spoiled, the vampires who took me in. The bleeding ungrateful buggers.

_I hate them._

They were not my family, they were not my clan. My entire clan was dead. I was alone. Why should I treat them kindly, those vampires who pretended to be my family? I stayed away from them, became cold towards them, and they learned to leave me alone. Maybe I was a bit kinder to the Watari. I cannot remember. But I remember being lonely. I hated the loneliness. Then the humans came to live with us, a mother and her son. No, that was not correct. When they came, it was because the mother came to serve us. As a donor. But why does the boy look so much like me? No one knew. No one cared.

Then I found out, all by myself. He was my brother. I was so happy. I was not alone. I had a brother. I became friends with him, but never let it slip that we were family. We were happy. I was happy. Then his mother died.

It was not my fault. How could I have known what my childish games would lead to? I did not know. How could there be so much blood…? I did not mean for it to happen. But now she's gone. Does he hate me? Please Goddess, do not let my brother hate me. He is all I have left. But why wouldn't he hate me? If it was not for me, his mother would be alive.

_I hate myself._

_I wish I would die._

w.W.w

Do you fear the things that go bump in the night?

They did, those humans who lived in the large port-town called Havens Gulf. They cowered in their homes at night… praying… waiting… longing… for the safety of dawn. Plagued by creatures of nightmares, they did not know if the life they lived was real or hell. Perhaps it was both. But no matter how much they feared those monsters, it was never as great as the fear they hold for Castle ArkWood. The townsfolk had tales about that place, tales of treachery, deceit, and murder. They greatly feared it. It was an evil place. A long stretch of forest separated the town from the large gothic castle, and none would brave the journey over there. The humans knew the legends of the name ArkWood. Why risk their lives? Besides, it has been abandoned for centuries.

But not anymore.

Deep inside the dark interior, Watari walked down the empty corridors carrying a small tray in his hands. It held a teapot, three tea cups, and a bowl of sugar cubes. He had just returned from his meeting with the human's magistrate earlier that night, held in their coast-land city called Havens Gulf. Watari wore a small frown and his eyes were clouded with worry, a heavy contrast to his normal expression, a reserved half-smile and a twinkle in his eyes. But the meeting had made Watari apprehensive.

It wasn't the human's that worried Watari; in fact, the information he had gathered from the magistrate greatly pleased him. After the last century, the humans had entirely forgotten about his kind, leaving only the fact that the people who owned Castle ArkWood also owned the entire forest and about half of the city that was built over ArkWood land. Stories were still told at night, which made Watari blink in recognition, but none that would put his clan at immediate risk. But the magistrate, a twitchy fellow descended from the very magistrate Watari's father had placed in control centuries ago, had told Watari some very disturbing news that put the quest of one of his charges at risk. That reminded Watari that there was also the matter of his young charges themselves.

Days before, when Watari's vampire clan first came to this foreign land, he had forbid any of his people from entering Havens Gulf. None of them liked it, but none of them would risk disobeying Watari's orders. He was an old vampire from the first brood, so though he did not have the power equivalent to a Prince's, Watari had enough strength that no other vampire would question his authority as temporary leader until Lord L came of age.

Watari sighed in resignation at the thought of L.

For the past few days, since when Watari first banned any contact with the humans, L had confined himself in his room, letting no one in except his sister and Watari. It wasn't that unusual of him, but the fact that not even Evelyn could coax him out was. There was something bothering their young Blood Prince, something that neither Evelyn nor Watari could figure out. It worried Watari to no end and Evelyn too, though Watari doubted that she would willingly admit it to any other vampire but him.

Watari was hoping that the sweets he was bringing L would brighten his mood, since they and any other pastries were few in this castle because no shopping could be done. It was Watari's fault for that part, so he had thought L would like the few sweets that remained.

Watari was a few feet away from the door leading to L's room when it opened a crack. Someone discreetly, but not entirely unseen, stepped out. From the style of movement, like the graceful motion of a serpent, Watari concluded that it was a vampire. The vampire did not notice as Watari came up from behind and actually gave a visible jump when he placed a hand on their shoulder. Even though her long hair was pulled back into a pony-tail, Watari recognized the vampire immediately.

"Evelyn, what are you doing here?" Watari asked her in surprise. "You know you are suppose to be in your own room, not your brother's room" He reprimanded her gently. How alike the two siblings were, what with eyes opened wide like a startle doe. _But unlike L, Evelyn lets her emotions show easily,_ Watari thought as he watched the shock disappeared from her face and replaced with open joy and a smile.

"I'm sorry, Watari. I just wanted to get a book from Ryuuzaki's room." She held the book up for a moment, then quickly hid it behind her back before Watari could get a good look at it. "It's still not fair that he gets to keep all the interesting ones. They books in my room are too boring." Evelyn said complained, but her smile was good-humored. "I'll see you later, Watari" She said, turning around to walk away.

Her book carelessly slipped from her hands and Watari plucked it mid-air, the tray of goodies skillfully balanced in one hand,

"Careful—" Watari's voice died when he saw what was it that he held.

It was an old brown leather book, faded and dingy, held closed by an old-fashioned clasp. The pages were yellow with age and the book was as small as Watari's hand. Etched on the front of the book was a strange symbol that had a distinct resemblance to a tree. He turned to Evelyn with narrowed eyes.

"Young lady, this is an important… _invaluable_… historical manuscript of our family. The only original, I should say. It is not one of your dispensable paperbacks" Watari told the young vampiress sternly.

"Don't worry so much, I won't let anything happen to our little vampire bible." Evelyn assured him immediately.

Watari opened his mouth to tell her for the millionth time that the book wasn't a bible, when he realized what his young charge had on. "Good heavens, what are you wearing?"

"Huh? What's wrong with it?" Evelyn asked.

There was nothing wrong with it really. Light brown wool breeches, a white long-sleeved tunic under a beautiful red vest with gold threading, and black leather boots; it was a perfectly normal enough outfit, even if it was a little more elegant looking than the common person, but it wasn't something that Evelyn would normally wear. Before, when she was younger, she would wear something similar. But not anymore. Watari knew she would never wear something like this where her clan might see her. It only meant one thing.

"I take it that you were thinking of sneaking into Havens Gulf? Though I specifically said no?" he asked.

Evelyn's smile faltered, but only for a brief moment. "Actually, I was just going to go walk down to that pretty lake I saw outside my window. It's just a little ways off in the forest." She answered coolly. "You know, just sit down by the water's edge, feel the wind in my hair, and perhaps read my book for a few hours"

That did seem believable. It has been a few days now since they had first came, Watari had expected her to get restless, and Evelyn did have a particular fondness for nature, so unlike other vampires. But then he saw a small bag hooked on her belt. "And you wish to take your purse with you?"

"Um, I thought I should check my money while I'm down there, you know, to see if I lost my money or something" She said unconvincingly.

Watari must not have looked convinced because Evelyn suddenly nibbled on her finger and hung her head dejectedly, a lot like a certain other raven-head Watari knew. It was uncanny how her behavior was similar to L. Or perhaps it was the other way around?

"Come now, Evelyn. Tell me what it is you are planning to do" Watari saw her head perk up when she heard the 'are'. "I want to hear the truth. I will not yell, I promise" Watari added kindly.

Evelyn looked over at L's bedroom door, then back at him. Watari read the question in her eyes and they drew away from the door, just out of earshot. Vampire and otherwise.

"To be honest, Watari, I wanted to get brother something." She began in a rush. "Before, when we first came here and we rode up to the castle in the carriage, I saw this bakery shop." Watari was amused to see her eyes glow. "It was wonderful! They had some of the most beautiful and elegant cakes displayed in their window! Almost as pretty as the ones back home. I just wanted to go buy one for him."

"Child, it is the middle of the night." Watari said. "Knowing humans, like all warmbloods, I doubt they will be up at this hour."

"I know that already." Evelyn said. "I just thought they wouldn't mind if I sampled a few of their fares…"

"You wish to steal from them?" Watari questioned her in disapproval.

"No, I would leave money behind. The amount of money the cakes would cost." She told him.

"What about the vermin? The human magistrate has told us they have been suffering from some vermin problems." The things the human magistrate had said bothered Watari. Actually, it was what he _didn't _say that bothered Watari the most. When Watari had asked what creatures had plagued their city while their kind was gone, he had a feeling that the human was keeping something from him. He would not risk his charges lives on one unanswered question.

"That is why I am leaving now" Evelyn reasoned. "It is three hours before dawn. I haven't slept through any of my classes, Watari. I know that no par— I mean, _vermin,_ will come out at this time."

"And what if you are still there when the sun rises?"

"Then I stick to the shadows or hid in the closest basement I can find" She countered huffily. There was a smile on her face still, but Watari knew that guarded look in her eyes by now. With or without his permission, Evelyn would leave for Havens Gulf.

"If you are not back by sunup, you are grounded for the next millennia." Watari conceded wearily. He would have to trust her to take care of herself. "And I will send our warriors to ravage the city in revenge" He added in an attempt to regain his composure.

Evelyn hugged him so suddenly, Watari almost spilled the tray he held. She said a quick, "sorry!" and kissed Watari on his wrinkled cheek. "Thank you, Watari. I promise to be back soon!"

Evelyn darted down the hall, and Watari just managed to call after her, "Stay safe!"

"I'll be careful, Watari. Besides," Her voice echoed quietly in the empty hallway. "It's not like I'm going to run into any werewolves, right?"

x.X.x

Raito prowled the dense forest as a wolf, leaping over fallen trees, hurtling through bushes, and feeling the impact of his weight when he landed on the cold earth. Always, when Raito shifted from his humanskin to his wolfskin, it was so easy to let all those petty human emotions go, to lose himself in the scents of the earth and forest, to just run wild and free. Raito never went too far though. He was still Raito, in wolfskin or humanskin; he never allowed losing control completely. Except at the Hunt, but that was different. It was a celebration, a time to pay homage their patron god, the goddess of the moon, and honor the blessing she bestowed upon the very first of their kind. It was Raito's birthright, this second form as familiar and natural to him as his two-legged one. But a continuous thought had lodged itself in his head and nothing he did could get rid of it. His thoughts kept going back to the boy.

For days Raito hasn't seen the boy, no matter how persistently he searched the city, so why should he still be thinking about him? Why couldn't Raito forget those large doleful eyes that had held him so captivated he forgot how to breathe? Why should he long to see a blush bless that beautiful porcelain skin? Why did he feel that hot stab of anger every time he remembered how the boy threw himself at that stuck-up little bitch!?

The growl that was growing deep within his throat tore itself free and Raito howled his rage, grateful that he had gone hunting alone.

_Goddammit!!!_ The human curse came out as another savage roar.

Raito heard them before he saw them, heard the snap of twigs behind him and voices calling his name loudly. His anger ebbed. Raito knew those people who called him in human voices. He padded to a patch of grass and sat down to wait. It wasn't long until three men came crashing out from behind the tall trees.

"Sir" The men said respectfully, sinking to their knees.

Raito nodded his head in greeting, since he was still in his wolfskin and couldn't voice any greeting of his own, and gave an inquiring, "Rrrrrr?" _What do you want?_

One of the men hastily got up and produced a pair of pants and a shirt from his bag. He placed the clothes in front of Raito and stepped back.

_Ah._ Raito smiled a canine grin, and obliged to their silent request.

The change was brief, but the pain still made Raito clench his teeth, waiting as it altered him to human shape. His muzzle retracted back, and his fingers and toes shortened. Raito's spine crunched into itself and his shoulders snapped back into place. There was a pop as his knees and elbows cracked into opposite directions, and his entire body tingled where the fur was receding.

"So what is so important that you would disturb me on my evening run?" Raito asked calmly. He stood up and gathered the clothes. He felt no self-conscious as he put the clothes on in front of them. These were his packmates. Family.

"We apologize, Raito." One of the men said. "It seems Matsuda has caught something during his patrol and has called for assistance."

Before Raito could stop it, a disbelieving smile was on his face. It wasn't a secret that Matsuda couldn't even catch a rabbit with a broken leg.

"Sir, I know it doesn't seem serious, but we have seen what creature Matsuda has captured." All three men shared a look. "We fear the worst." Raito felt a sense of dread creep down his spine.

"And? What is it that he caught?" Raito asked, thinking with unease that maybe it was some diseased animal. His stomach clenched. If prey were sick then that would mean danger to the pack. It did not help that the faces before him became grave.

"What is it?" Raito asked again, worry making his voice sharp.

The youngest of the three, the one who had given Raito his clothes, said hesitantly, "Sir, he caught a vampire."

v.V.v

_Where is she?_ Ryuuzaki thought in agitation. He stirred his teaspoon in his coffee, which by now had become cold. Well it was more like slush, what with all the sugar Ryuuzaki had poured in it, but he still didn't feel like eating it. An hour had gone by, and still Evelyn hasn't come back.

_She said she was going to go down by the lake for only a moment. _Brotherly concern would not let him eat his preciously scarce sweets in peace. Ryuuzaki could try, but his stomach wouldn't hold them down. _Where could she be?_

His genius mind came to its own decision after another failed attempt at sugar consumption.

_I suppose I'll just have to go get her._ Ryuuzaki looked at his door. Any human would not have known it, but Ryuuzaki knew Watari was standing outside his door, guarding it. _An alternative way out is in order._ He decided. Ryuuzaki's eyes looked over at his window, then were drawn to the sheets on his bed.

_Hmmmm…_

x.X.x

Raito watched on as they dragged the thing towards him. He looked at every person's face; the five people who were part of his Pack, including Matsuda, the grass at his feet, the stars in the sky, at about everything but the creature struggling between his packmates. But the flash of dark hair drew his eyes and then Raito found himself staring into its eyes. Dark like the night around them, they were crazed with fear. Raito felt a strange feeling in his gut and his thoughts turned back to the boy. Why? It was a girl, why think of the boy? Then it did something unpredictable. It started crying.

"Please… no… please…!" It whimpered. "Let me go…!"

Raito knelt down. It was a child, no older than his little sister, who had only turned ten a few moons ago. Dark hair cropped short, a splash of faded freckles against pale skin, wild blood-shot eyes; this could have been anyone's cub, anyone's child. But Raito knew very well it couldn't. It wasn't human, or even werewolf, after all.

"We could wait until sunrise." Matsuda offered half-heartedly, earning glares from everyone but Raito and the vampire child.

"Stupid, we can't wait that long!" Someone hissed. Raito didn't look up. His eyes stayed on the child.

"Why not?" Matsuda asked stupidly. "It's only for another two hours"

Before anyone could answer him, Raito spoke up. "Because it's dangerous holding a vampire for that long."

All eyes were on him, Raito knew. He could feel their stares on him. So he kept his eyes on the vampire. It— no, _she—_ had stopped crying. The tears had dried and her eyes were blank, giving no clue on what she was thinking. "The only time you can trust a vampire alone is when it's dead." Raito finished coldly.

He held his hand up, awaiting the sharp stake that was pressed into it.

"Leave." Raito said. There were murmurs of protest around him. "_Leave._" _I needn't say it twice! _The hidden threat behind it was clear. Quietly, without another word, they left them alone.

Raito had done this five times in his life, only five, but he was the best. Raito was always credited on how cool he was when he killed them. _He handles them better than his grandfather._ They would joke, but the laughter would never reach their eyes. Raito saw only fright, smelled the fear-scent on them. His grandfather was a general during the Crescent War, a battle that had raged between vampires and werewolves for hundreds of years. His grandfather had killed more vampires than most of his kind, but Raito was the best. His first vampire kill was when he was twelve. Raito hadn't hesitated once.

But a small part of him hated this, what he had to do next. Why not let any of the others take care of this? Why did he have to do this? Raito knew the reason why it had to be him. It was because he was his father's son, the son of the packleader. It was his birthright, his duty. Raito's father might have been the one to do this, but his pack had found him first.

Raito wasn't paying attention, which would have meant his death at other occasions, with other vampires, but not this child. She moved towards Raito, who was heedlessly unaware of the danger. But there was no danger. She crawled into his arms, startling him out of his thoughts, huddling close to his chest.

"Wh-what—?" Raito managed to stammer.

"I see the stake in your hand, do not think I haven't." Her voice cracked, but this time there was no fear in it. That surprised him.

"Then why—?" Raito shook his head in bewilderment. "Aren't you afraid?" He asked her.

"It's alright" Her small voiced rasped. Now that she was not crying, Raito could hear the soft gentleness in her speech, like the honeyed voice of a child, though it cracked and grated like that of an old woman also. "I'm not afraid anymore. I know now that you will make the pain go away."

Raito froze, unsure of what to do. Vampires never acted like this. They begged for their lives, made him false promises that would never be kept, fought for their lives. They never accepted death.

"_Please!_" Her small hands gripped Raito's shirt with strength nothing like a child. Pleading black eyes met his startled brown ones. "It has hurt for so long, I cannot take it. I want it to end. Please I beg of you, be my angel of mercy… _Set me free!_"

The plea snapped Raito out of his hesitance. A coldness settled over every part of skin and his arm lifted automatically, holding the stake steady just above her heart. Then he delivered the killer strike.

Raito felt nothing as the vampire child made a sharp cry. He felt nothing as her skin turned grey and unnatural. He felt nothing as her skin started to crumble in his arms. He felt nothing as the empty eyes stared up at him. What he felt was the smile on her face, the sense of peace as her body turned to ash. Does that make sense? What he felt was the lingering gentle presence around him, heard the unspoken words, _"Thank you…"_

Raito stood up. The wind took away the ashes of the vampire child, swept the last traces of her from his clothes, from his hands, yet he still felt her. The soft moonlight showed nothing on his hands, yet Raito could see the blood on them.

Under the crescent moon, Raito threw back his head and howled. He howled for the dark being he killed, the child who would never know what it is to grow up, and for the dense emptiness that would wish to plague him. The howl held no hidden meaning in it. Sometimes a howl was just a howl. When he was done, Raito turned around toward the forest. He had to get away, run for a few hours.

His eyes grew large at the small figure there, standing just a little in the forest. Her black hair, held secured by a ponytail, tickled her cheeks from the wind. Delicate hands held a wicker basket to her, like her life depended on it. Eyes a darker shade of black than that of the vampire child stared out at him. The horror was clear in them. Did time slow down? To Raito it did, but maybe it wasn't so with the girl. But Raito did realize one thing. No matter what he thought before, Raito knew the truth. This girl was that boy's kin. He didn't know how he knew that, but he was certain it was true.

Nothing could rid the dark emotions he still had, but a small amount of relief and joy swept through him. Raito raised a hand in greeting towards the girl, and that broke whatever spell had held her in place, because Raito had done it wrong. Before he could do anything else, she turned and ran.

Instinct made Raito's legs respond to a fleeing prey. "No! Wait!" He ran after her. He thought he could catch her easily. Raito was wrong. Deep in the forest, Raito lost her. He lost her. _He, _Raito Yagami_, _had lost her.

How was he supposed to find that boy now!? A growl half-escaped his lips before he saw it. It was the basket she was holding, abandoned now on the ground. Raito pounced on it with an eagerness that surprised him, but at that moment he could care less.

All it held was an assortment of cakes and a book, but it was written in a foreign language Raito didn't know. He put the contents carefully back, feeling slightly disappointed but not entirely. He still had a small glimmer of hope.

Raito knew what direction the girl was running to. She was headed to Castle ArkWood.

o.O.o

Evelyn's heart was beating faster than she would like it to but then again, she never expected to run into a werewolf. A murdering werewolf, that is. But what bothered her most about the whole thing was how _young_ the werewolf was. He looked like he was only a few years older than her. And he had killed that little girl in cold blood.

_He's a werewolf, but still a kid like me, so does that make him a puppy? _Evelyn bit her lip in annoyance._ Stop that! Quit the hysterics!_

Her foot slipped from the bark, and Evelyn hastily searched for another branch to step on. Her entire body clung desperately onto the tall tree that kept her from falling 35 feet, which she used as her hiding place. It was very high up, even for a vampire to climb, but fear can make a person do extraordinary things. Not that she ever wanted to experience fear ever again.

_Goddess, I promise to bring Ryuuzaki a million cakes and listen to Watari forevermore if you do not let that werewolf find me. _Evelyn prayed desperately. She looked down… and almost screamed.

He was right below her. But that wasn't why she almost screamed. The wolf was looking threw her stuff._ Leave it alone and go away. Leave it alone and go away. Leave it alone and go away._ He did leave, much to Evelyn's relief, but only half her prayer was answered. The werewolf took her basket with him.

_Aaaaaaah!!! You no good dirty rotten thief!!! _Evelyn bit back a scream of frustration. _Do you know how much that whole thing cost me!? _

She looked down at the werewolf boy with pure loathing as he gathered up her basket, which she had risked so much to obtain, and leave. Evelyn's arms were starting to hurt, and she was slipping again, but still she held on to her tree and watched the boy leave.

When he had left her sights, Evelyn counted to a hundred before she could start to think about leaving her tree. But she had to go, she had to catch up with that, that… _Wolfspup… _and somehow get back the book. Evelyn couldn't let anything happen to that book. It was hers by birthright, so it was her responsibility. She had to get it back.

Evelyn tentatively moved her feet down to the next lower branches. She reached down at the nearest branch, grasped it firmly, and let go of the branch in her other hand.

_SNAP!_

There was a _whoosh!,_ the sudden feeling of buoyancy, and then Evelyn was falling. She crashed and broke every branch she barreled down into. Smaller branches clawed at her face. Evelyn blacked out before she hit the ground.

v.V.v

Ryuuzaki sat quietly at the lake's edge, skimming his hand over the water's surface. He liked how the ripples sparkled from the moonlight and how perfect each circle was. Ryuuzaki had figured out ten minutes ago that Evelyn wasn't at the lake, but since he remembered seeing her purse hang on her belt, he assumed that she had snuck into the human's city.

_But what could she want down there? _Ryuuzaki thought inquisitively. _There's no store down there that Evelyn might want to buy from, and I do not think that she would go down there to be with a man._

A horrified blush colored his cheeks, which was happening more and more nowadays despite Ryuuzaki's protests, and he shook his head vigorously, as if hoping to dislodge such scandalous thoughts from his mind.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Ryuuzaki became absolutely still. _That does not sound like Evelyn…_

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**OMG! Light's a murderer!? Le gasp! *0***

…**Yeah, most of you shoulda seen this coming. He's a murderer in the original version, I make him a murderer in this one. I like keeping it the same… to a degree. **

_**Anywho… **_**not to threaten you guys or anything, but if you don't leave a review after you read this, I will kill this random kitten outside my house. I mean it. And she is very cute by da way**_**. **_**Well, that's it. Til next time, bye!**


	4. Poisoned Strawberries, Part I

**Hey, guys. I know it's been a while, and that this chapter is kinda short. It's just that for this last month it's been kinda crappy for me. I've had this chapter written up six times, and six times it somehow got deleted off my computer. SIX BLOODY TIMES!!!!!!! The first time (Okay, who am I kidding, it was 1-4) I was pissed off beyond comprehension. The fifth I went emo for a week. And the sixth… *sigh* I'm tired. Really. I'm not mad, I'm not even sad. I'm just… tired. **

**From the last two chapters you can tell I like to write a lot within my chapters. This one was longer than the rest. And I rewrote it over and over. I'm not trying to complain, I'm just giving it to you guys straight. I actually had thoughts on discontinuing this story. But then out of nowhere this person favorite my story and it got me thinking; "What are you whining about? Think of your readers, you jerk!"**

**So I guess I'll just put up what I have, and write back up the second part later. So thankz to **DeAD oN SIghT**, my random favoriter person, and all my other readers and reviewers for snapping me out of my depressing. If not for you all, I really may have discontinued this. I'll try to get the second part up soon. (I hope...)**

**DISCLAIMER: *Sigh* Wishful thinking, that's all I have… **

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When we came to this place, I did not know what to make of it. When I saw with my own eyes the grand castle we were moving into, I was very much surprised. I didn't care, because my mother was sick. She tries to hide it with her smiles and laughter, but I see it anyway. She's wasting away and needed help. These people living here, I knew they could help her. They would help her. They had to.

_Keep it secret_

They did not want me here. Some glare at me with hate filled eyes. Others would not even look at me. But all in all, they refused to let me stay. The old man, the one I could tell had some form of leadership, he tried to reason with them. He said I was too young to part with my mother. They said they did not care. He argued that it was cruel and unfair. "What of the cruelty dealt to us?" They asked. "What of the unfairness that curses us still? You shall have no say in this matter, old man." Some had tears in their eyes. I didn't know what hurts them, or why it should relate to me. But it does, and I dislike them for it.

Mother held me to her, with her head buried in my hair. I felt a wetness on my head, and I realized my mother was crying. That made me hate them even more. And also afraid. I could have said something, maybe something inconceivable, and dispute my right to be here. Then mother might smile. But I didn't. I stood there, hunched under their gazes, and kept silent.

The old man, Watari, stepped in front of my mother and I, but turned to _them_ instead. "Who would wish him to stay?"

The silence was long, agonizingly long, and my mother's arms tightened around me. I held one thought in my mind. If they tried to part me with my mother, I would fight. I held myself rigid, waiting. Then someone spoke.

"I do." The voice was soft and sweet, and a bit quiet too, as if not used in a long time. I did not see her right away, but then I saw her threading her way through the legs of the adults. A girl with long dark hair and warm, kind eyes. Her gaze met mine and she smiled. "I do." She said again.

I have to call her mistress, the little girl who saved me, even though she is two years younger to my eight. I don't mind that much. I only have to call her mistress when her family is near. When we are alone I can call her by her name. She is nice, nicer than I thought a noble-born should behave, but she is different from her family.

They say she cannot speak and when she vouched for me that was the first time they had heard her voice in a long time. My mistress still will not speak when they are near, but when we are alone, she talks for me. I teach her words sometimes, and teach her how to use her voice again. Little whispers only, but she responds to me well. Soon she may be able to talk again, and perhaps tell me what still causes her to have nightmares each night. Soon perhaps.

_Keep it safe_

For some reason, they leave her alone. She is only a girl, one who will not speak for them, but they listen to what she wants. My mistress tells me it's because they owe her a debt that can't ever be paid. I asked what it is, but she won't say. I only know it involves her deceased grandmother. It bothers me, but I don't want to vex my mistress, so I will leave it alone. For now, anyway.

I don't live with my mother, but I can visit her every day. She's healthier each time I visit her, and for that I'm glad. But I see that she looks a bit tired too. _They_ are also a continuing problem. I still obtain glares from them, but a quick look from my mistress and they go away. And when it's not her, it is Watari. I suppose not all of them hate me. I was happy. How could I have known that she would die?

I broke the only promise she ever made me swear to, and she's gone. My mother… my kind strong mother… she's dead. No, this isn't right. Tell me this isn't happening… This isn't how it was suppose to happen. What went wrong? Was it my fault? Oh god, so much blood…!

Please… someone… anyone… bring her back… I'm begging you…

…please…

_Tell no one your true name,_

_my precious Lawliet_

x.X.x

Raito didn't believe in faith. He didn't believe in miracles. Hell, he didn't really believe in god! But there must have been some sort of forces at work that night. How else could Raito explain meeting the boy who was on his mind for days, face-to-face and alone? And the fact that he was in the same clothes, hair unkempt as last time, a look of surprise on his face equal to before… well, it was a stretch to call it a coincidence at any rate.

The boy jumped up from his crouching position, and locked eyes with Raito. They were black, like beautiful onyx stones, only they held a cleverness in them that most did not. They were unjudging in his stare, and yet there was a blatant curiosity in them. Eyes strong and intelligent, yet full of secrets. Raito was lost in them. Then a guarded look veiled those traces of emotions Raito had just seen, and the boy asked distrustfully, "Who are you?"

The voice sent a chill down Raito's spine. But not, however, in a bad way. He didn't realize he hadn't answered until he saw the young man turn around. "I think I should be going home now–"

"Wait!" He didn't yell, but Raito couldn't help that small bit of panic escape with that one plea. "Please, wait."

The raven-haired boy paused, making the wet grass create a soft crunching noise from under his bare feet. He looked at Raito coolly, one eyebrow raised. "Yes?"

"Before you go…" Raito looked down at the basket he held. "…would you like to share these cakes with me?" He held up the basket to him as a sort of offering, smiling hopefully.

The boy said nothing, but his eyes lit up when the saw the basket and he took a small step forward. Raito, feeling a bit assured, let his eyes stray away for a brief second, where it fell on a log just by the lake's edge.

Raito marched over to the log and was delighted to see the boy move in synch, pivoting on his bare foot. Raito sat down on the log, placed the basket on the grass and lifted up the small clothe that covered it. There were about two dozen small cakes in all, from chocolate devils food to strawberry cheesecakes. Some of them were small enough to eat whole, and the rest looked like they were cut off from a bigger cake.

Raito picked one of the smaller pastries, one of the circular ones heavy with white icing, and ate it whole. It was sweet, with a crunchy sugar glaze. He looked up, caught the boy's eyes, and smiled again. "See? Nothing bad in them"

The boy was inching a little closer now, his dark-ringed eyes never leaving the basket by Raito's feet, and delicately nibbled on his index finger.

"Here" Raito offered and lifted the cake up. "And I forgot to ask you… may I have your name?"

The boy's inched a little closer, but the suspicion cleared from his face for a moment, and he hesitantly reached a small hand forward. His fingers, not ice cold, but cool to the touch, slipped around Raito's hand. But he didn't take the cake from Raito's hand, No; instead, he leaned down and brought Raito's hand to his mouth.

"Ryuuzaki" He said, drawing Raito's hand nearer to his lips. "My name is Ryuuzaki" Then he daintily ate the cake from Raito's fingers, guiding his hand at just the right moment. He sat back down on the log next to Raito, or something similar to sitting, and licked his lips. "Thank you. It was delicious"

_Shit!_ Raito blushed furiously, but turned his face away. Why did Ryuuzaki have to do that?!? Raito Didn't he know how dangerous that was!?! Hell, it was like he was _begging _to get jumped! "I-I haven't seen you in town recently," Raito managed to stammer. "I guess you don't live there?"

"I just moved here with my family" The boy, Ryuuzaki, answered. "I believe you saw us come in that night. Am I correct?"

"Yes?"

"Then that's all you need to know"

"Oh, right, sorry…" Discouraged, Raito kicked at some stones at his feet and totally ignoring the cakes.

"How did you come here?" Ryuuzaki asked. His slender fingers briskly searched the contents of the basket and pulled out another strawberry cake. "This place, I meant. I did not think that anyone in the city would want to come so far out."

"It's probably because I don't live in the city. I live nearby in a small village with my family. I found this place when I was younger, and I still like to come here. I sometimes bring my little sister with me. She's ten" Raito told him. He focused his attention on the lake, though his eyes darted back to Ryuuzaki. "Do you have any siblings, Ryuuzaki?"

He looked at Raito, but this time only with a small amount of suspicion. "A little sister. Not as young as yours. She's sixteen now." Ryuuzaki finally said, looking out at the lake. He bit into his cake and, without looking up at Raito, asked, "Are you always this rude?"

Raito could only blink at the question at first. "Why do you say that?" He asked

"If I remember correctly, I told you my name, yet you did not tell me yours in return. Anyone I know would say you were being rude" Ryuuzaki murmured. There was the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, softening the sting of the remark considerably, and Raito felt himself smiling back. Actually, he liked the straight-forward way Ryuuzaki spoke, blunt but considerate. Most people Raito spoke to were slow in answering and they seemed to think carefully about their words before they spoke them. With Ryuuzaki, it was different. Raito found it refreshing.

"Forgive me. I forgot myself." He apologized. Raito hadn't even realized he hadn't told his name. "My name is Raito Yagami."

"Light?" Ryuuzaki asked, mispronouncing it entirely.

"_Raito_." Raito pronounced. "Don't worry. Plenty of people get it mixed up, the reason being my parents fault."

"What do you mean?" Ryuuzkai asked. He sounded genuinely curious.

Raito shrugged. "It's kind of a strange story"

"I like stories" Ryuuzaki responded. "Especially strange ones" There was a longing when he said that, and Raito chuckled.

_He sounded just like a little kid_. He thought in amusement. It was in the same tone that Sayu would use when she wanted Raito to read her a story, but didn't want to ask him directly. "Well, alright, but don't laugh." Raito said.

Ryuuzaki nodded and turned slightly so he was facing Raito and looked at him expectantly. He nibbled on the cake he held, a little like a rabbit would to a carrot. It was kinda funny since the cake was a carrot cake.

"When I was born, my mother wanted to name me Light. But she was so tired after the birthing she fell asleep, just not before leaving the midwife instructions to tell my father that my name was to be Light. Unfortunately, the midwife had a severe hearing problem, and when she spoke to my father, she said 'Congratulations, sir, it's a boy. Here, his name is Raito.'" Raito shook his head. No matter how many times he told this story, he could never really believe it. How can a person get Raito and Light mixed-up? "My mother never knew what had happened until a week later, but by then everyone was already used to calling me Raito, so the name stuck."

"It wasn't that long." Ryuuzaki said, but he smiled. Raito's heart fluttered. "Was your mother mad afterwards?"

"She was _furious_" Raito said. "At least, that's what my father keeps telling me. I never fully understood why my mother was so angry. It's only a name."

"But names _are _important" Ryuuzaki said quietly. Raito looked at him in confusion, but he only shrugged. "Other than that, it may have been a personal matter behind your mother's anger. Perhaps she wanted to name you after an ancestor that was dear to her" Ryuuzaki added, a thoughtful look entering his eyes. He bit into his cake, and some of the frosting stuck to his chin.

"You have something there—" Raito said. He reached out to wipe it away, which had to be the moment when things went absolutely wrong. It just goes to show you, always make sure to check the logs you sit on. It might have moss growing on it. And of course, moss can be very slippery…

o.O.o

Evelyn forced herself to walk through the forest, even though it hurt every time she moved and it was hard to breathe. She was hurt badly, that much she could tell in her current state. There was a dull throbbing on the base of her skull and when she reached back to touch the sore spot, her fingers came back wet.

She wasn't too troubled about the wound. She had enough medical knowledge to know that a head injury was a lot more dangerous if there wasn't any blood. Then again, the cloudy vision and increasingly painful headache was beginning to worry her. Being unable to breath and having limbs that weren't working properly didn't help much either.

_Stupid rock…!_ Evelyn thought angrily, tripping over yet another tree root she had missed. _Stupid gravity…!_

Spotting a large boulder, Evelyn limped over to it and sat down, leaning against it's more or less comfortable curved shape. She sat there for a few minutes to catch her breath. Or was it an hour? _I hate stupid head injuries._ Evelyn thought. She wiped away the blood with the hem of her sleeve._ As a vampire, most wounds we suffer can heal in a little amount of time. But only the ones that bleed. Anything else we suffer like any other warmblood. And it sucks._

The cut had closed during her brief period of rest, which by far was the most weirdest feeling ever, but Evelyn wasn't in the mood to complain. She didn't really have anyone to complain to either. Also, she had other things to worry about. Her physical ailment was fixed but that brought her mental ailment to question.

_Damage report… I fell from a tree, landed on a rock, and got the wind knocked out of me. _She thought back to the hazy memory. _Scratch that, my _head_ landed on the stupid rock. That pretty much explains the gaping hole that was bleeding on my skull_.

Another migraine throbbed painfully in her skull and Evelyn clutched her head between her hands. "Ow…!"

She did not notice the stranger walking up to her. If she had, she would have run, no questions asked. But as it was, Evelyn was caught off guard. "Excuse me, miss. Are you alright?"

v.V.v

_*Sigh* I must remember to look where I sit next time._ Ryuuzaki thought with irritation. The log which he and Raito had been sitting on was covered in a slippery sort of moss, and when Raito had tried to wipe the frosting from Ryuuzaki's face, he was stupid enough to draw away, causing him to slip and fall. Which was when Raito tried to save him and ended up falling with Ryuuzaki, and somehow it ended with Raito on top of him with Ryuuzaki's hands pinned to the ground. It really was just his luck to end up in this position.

Ryuuzaki tried to move out from under Raito, and was about to ask him to politely move, when Raito seemed to snapp

"_Don't move!_" He roared. "Stay still or you'll get hurt!"

"What?" Ryuuzaki said in disbelief. _Just what does he mean to do?_ "Raito, let go of me at once or I swear I will _hit_ you" Ryuuzaki added threateningly. He wasn't in a good position for any punches, what with his wrists being pinned down, but Ryuuzaki could easily knee Raito where it would hurt quite badly. And when he did not respond, Ryuuzaki did just that and earned a grunt from above. Raito in turn, fastened down even harder on his wrists as Ryuuzaki attempted to be released.

But as he struggled, Ryuuzaki caught from the corner of his eye, a clash of color against a dark background, at the base of the log. He turned his head to get a better look of it and caught the sweet smell of strawberries. It was a flower, something crossed between a red Amaryllis and a white Iris, its open bulb dipped in a sort of bow. It had a beautifully curved, almost vine-like stem, but it was covered in large thorns, blood-red at the tips, green as granny-apple at the base.

"What is it?" Ryuuzaki asked. He stopped moving and stared at the strange plant. It was something he had never seen before, and his natural sense of curiosity kicked in. Even if it was only a flower.

"It's called the Lorelei flower" Raito said, his breath tickling the nape of Ryuuzaki's neck. His breathing had become ragged, no doubt by Ryuuzaki's doing. "Just one prick from its thorn is enough to kill you."

Ryuuzaki looked at his hand, the one that Raito gripped tighter than the other, and realized it was only centimeters away from the flower. If he had moved his hand any closer he would have indeed grazed his fingers against the thorns. Ryuuzaki felt his face heat up with shame. _Of course there was a logical explanation to Raito's actions. Save me from my own childishness._

"Thank you…" Ryuuzaki turned his face upwards so he was facing Raito and realized how short the space between their faces was. All at once, Ryuuzaki become fully aware of how very close Raito's body was to his. Then, unexpectedly, Raito leaned down and kissed Ryuuzaki on the lips. The kiss was surprisingly tender and ended as quick as it came, so the two of them were left to staring at each other. Though Ryuuzaki was startled to silence, Raito himself looked very surprised, as if amazed at what he had just done.

"If that was a joke, Raito, it wasn't very nice" Ryuuzaki intoned after a brief silence with forced calm.

"Sorry" But by the look on his face that replaced his amazement, it was an absolute lie. "I couldn't help. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. If you like, think of it as revenge for the kick you gave me." Raito added with a deviously charming smile, which caused Ryuuzaki to both become even more irritated and have yet another attack of butterfly wings.

"Well, what a convenient excuse." Ryuuzaki said mockingly. "Tell me, did you plan on this from the beginning?"

"No, it was more of an impulse really." Raito grinned formidably, and Ryuuzaki had the sudden image of a wolf looming over him. "Just like this is." And with that said, he leaned down and pressed his lips against Ryuuzaki's. When Ryuuzaki tried to speak some form of words, a struggle between '_Get the hell off_' and '_Ah…!_', Raito quickly switched his kiss to the French variety. Heat seared through Ryuuzaki's body and when he arched his back, his hand slipped out of Raito's grasp. But he didn't move it really. Only a little bit.

Ryuuzaki's fingers brushed against something soft and velvety, like a flower petal, and an even stronger smell of strawberries engulfed his senses as Raito deepened his kiss, making Ryuuzaki's heart quicken and his head spin. But there was another smell mingled within the sweet berry smell, something salty and familiar. Blood. Suddenly, a terrible agony exploded in his hand, making Ryuuzaki gasp in pain, and a noise buzzed in his ears. The world spun out of control in front of his eyes.

"_Ryuu… alright…?_"

"Raito…?" But the buzzing in Ryuuzaki's ear drowned out all surrounding noises and he lost focus on everything around him. The bizarre sounds slowly started to make sense, and Ryuuzaki realized it sounded like someone singing…

o.O.o

_Damn! I must have gotten hurt worse than I first thought._ Evelyn looked up at the newcomer wearily. _How embarrassing to get caught like this._ "I'm fine, sir." She said, adding sir just because she didn't want to risk insulting him. But really, Evelyn couldn't tell what sort of person he was. He was tall, probably a sizable head taller than her, but a large cloak obscured any way of analyzing him. It was different than the cloaks her people used, made of a thick brown material, more likely used in traveling. The hood was pulled up, shrouding his face, and the cloak itself was bulky.

"Here, let me help you up" He said, his voice strangely gentle, and offered his hand to her. His cloak opened a little, and Evelyn saw the reason why it looked so bulky from outside. The entire inner clothe was covered with hidden pockets, which were filled with rolled up parchments. _How queer._ She thought.

"A kind offer, sir, but I am much comfortable here, thank you." Evelyn told him. But before he could withdraw, she grabbed his hand and pulled him down beside her. "Wait, sit with me. It's a cold night, and I could use the company."

Evelyn didn't feel like going home just yet with her headaches still bothering her, and she didn't want to wait alone, even if her only option of company was from a stranger. But what could he do to her anyway?

"Tempting proposition, but I must be off. I have somewhere to be unfortunately." He apologized in his oddly shy voice. Evelyn liked the way he spoke. It was cute.

"You would leave a girl all alone in a big scary forest like this?" She asked sweetly, knowing full well the answer. After all, she grew up in a family of boys.

"My mother would have a heart attack if I did." A sigh echoed from in his hood. "Where is it do you live? Perhaps I could escort you home." Evelyn listened to his voice, searching for any ill-intentions in them, but found only sincerity.

_Perhaps I can trust him with something that small._ She thought. "My home is in castle yonder." Evelyn gestured in what she hoped was the right direction. "I live there with my handlers." Evelyn almost slapped herself. _Why did I use that horrid donor term? Augh. Stupid headaches._ Evelyn rubbed her temples. Handlers was a name all donors referred her people to. For some reason, none of them liked calling them vampires. _Oh well, he wouldn't know the meaning to it anyway._

"Did you say… handlers?" Evelyn didn't notice the sudden coldness that entered his voice. Her headache was affecting her instinct of regard.

"Forgive me. I have been suffering from headaches recently" Very, _very_ recently. She smiled at him. "I meant to say–" my family. Evelyn ended that failed sentence with a grimace. Sixteen years of practice and she still couldn't manage that one little lie. "Let's just say I live with my benefactors." Not a very innocent statement. She thought wryly.

Evelyn expected the man to start asking questions about it, as it has happened to many times before, and she thought up a dozen or so lies to say, while waiting expectantly. "You have a headache, you say?" The man asked instead.

The question surprised her. "Um, yes, it's an annoyance, but nothing too serious." _At least, I hope not._ She kept that little bit to herself.

"Well, even small headaches aren't good." He drew out a small bronze hip flask from within his many-pocketed cloak. "Here, drink this. I'm sure it will help." The man opened the top and placing it in her hands. The flask was warm.

"What is it?" The scent that wafted up was aromatic, a nice smell, like the scent of a rare type of tea. Curiously, Evelyn took a large gulp and just registered the man's next words. "It's made from the thorns of the Lorelei flower…"

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**A/N: Yes, it was ended very abruptly and crappy. And I rushed at a lot of places. I know, I got to fix it. -_-" But it's my fault for using faulty computers in the first place, so I accept full responsibility. Plus I really got to find more time to work on this. And I need to ask, is this chapter still good with the "**Rated T**" thing? 0.o I know this is a lot more mild than any of the other Yaoi stories I've read, but I'm kinda wondering if I should add "**This chapter Rated M**" just to be on the safe side. Cuz I really don't want to get in trouble. XP**

**Oh, and since I don't know when I'll upload the next part, Happy New Year everyone! XD Get your New Year resolutions going and I wish u luck on their fulfillments! Mine is to write faster. (Really gotta work on that…)**

**Well, see ya when I can. Bye!**


	5. Poisoned Strawberries, Part II

**Hey, everybody. I caught a cold and I don't feel so good, so I think I'm just let things go straight to the story. But I will say, even if it might just be the sickness talking, that I think this chapter is super crappy. Also, the A/N at the end was made _before_ I got sick. K, I'm gonna go have some chicken noodle soup now and go to sleep…**

**Oh, and thank you **Lillyankh, **I did not see that error down there. My bad. ^^" My head was hurting and I didnt read through it before uploading. Another reason I hate colds. **

**Disclaimer: ………………… *sniffle***

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I have lived a long life, longer than most of my kind would, but I have not found reason to leave this world as of yet. Many of the people I love have died, and few remain. I have regrets. I am not invincible to pain, though many of my kind foolishly think so. What I regret is the lives of our children, and the pain we inflicted upon them.

My kind does not easily conceive, so all children are precious to us. Warmbloods, they do not know how lucky they are, to be blessed so freely. Still… they do not stop causing harm, even death, to their children. In spite of it, their children will not stop loving them. I have once seen a child beaten black and blue by her father, and still she said through bloody lips and broken teeth, "I love you, daddy"

No, those warmbloods do not know how lucky they are. So when all those children were born, all within the same decade, I was elated. I thought the Goddess was finally forgiving us. But it was all because of those two children that they were all gathered safely. If not for them, many of our children would have died. It all began with Lilithe's granddaughter, the first child.

_Our decision is made…_

I regret the reason why she came into our care. I regret that I could not save the clan she grew up in. I regret that her mother's death was not a peaceful one. That little girl thought they were her clan, but they were not. She was of Lilithe's clan, even though her mother was of that other clan. I regret what I allowed Lilithe to do to her in order to find out why we found a massacre of bodies, both the mutilated bodies of our kind and the burned carcasses of our bitter foes werewolves.

I do not care for God, or any other warmblood deity, but I believe in our Goddess, and of the Dark Gods, and their ways of punishment. Lilithe watched in detail her daughter's death, and I realized who this little girl was to me. It was a mercy she did not remember what we did, which only fueled our shame. It did not stop Lilithe from loving that child, though, as it did not stop me. She was the sweetest little girl, with a heart that can break so easily. It was when Lilithe died I became aware of this.

I regret that I let that little girl down when she needed me most. I do not think she has forgiven me. I have yet to forgive myself. The next child was our prince.

…_for the Laws he has broken…_

It was a few years after Lilithe's death that the girl's brother arrived, yet I did not know of his lineage at the time. At Lilithe's dying request I searched the country-side for a certain woman; a human, a mortal, a warmblood. I did not know who she was. I did not know she had a son. My clan was suffering… _problems_… and a child only hurt them. They wanted him gone, and I knew I could not stop them. But she did, our little girl, she made them let her keep the boy. I had forgotten the sound of her voice.

At best, he was the strangest youngster. He was intelligent beyond his years, and he soon learned what we were, yet he was not afraid of us. And because of that there were problems. He dug up secrets that were meant to be hidden; shames and disgraces not meant to be brought to light, and many were outraged. If not for the fact that I kept a watchful eye over him, the boy may have wound up dead. But other than that, he has been nothing but a pleasure to be around. He had, as it were, a sort of healing effect on all of us.

She was quite taken to him, and he was a good influence on her. I saw her smiling again. I heard her laughter. But something was amiss. Though that look in her eyes was gone, those sad eyes that have seen too much, it was replace by another. Now there was a knowing sparkle in them when she looked at the boy, and I saw that she had a secret behind those jet-black eyes of hers. But they were both happy, so I did nothing to interfere.

I believed it was Lilithe's plan all along, to keep the boy hidden, so that he might be safe. It was a good plan, quite brilliant in its simplicity. If only I didn't ruin it. Those two children, they both blame the accident on themselves, but it was my fault alone. If only I had paid more attention, watched them a little more carefully, his mother may still be alive. It would have spared the children so much grief. But the past is the past, and we must learn to be able to forgive to move one. It can never harm us again. Or so I thought.

…_your prince, Lord L, shall be put to death_

v.V.v

No one fears the dark. Mankind has trembled and quailed in fright, but not for fear of the black abyss. It was a universal fact, if maybe not heeded by all, that no one truly fears the darkness. We only fear what hides in its shadows. We fear what should lurk inside it, or what's worse, we fear the nothingness inside of it. But, unbeknownst to the children of the gods, many have fled there, as a means to escape. And for a special raven-haired young man, he wanted nothing more than somewhere private to escape to. A place where there was no suffering, a secret haven he could find peace in, even if he was in a half-conscious state and would not remember it later. Yet he loved every journey there. It was the only place he knew for sure nothing would hurt him. But nothing lasts forever.

It was the warmth that pulled him away from the darkness. It was the soft beating that awoke him. Ryuuzaki struggled to wake up, all the while feeling puzzled on how he fell asleep in the first place. He knew for a definite fact that he did not easily fall asleep. Ryuuzaki was lying on his side, which was normal for him since he preferred to curl into a ball. But it was warm. Normally, wherever he would choose to lie down in would be cold.

Ryuuzaki opened bleary eyes, and blinked once or twice. He was in his room, in his bed to be more precise, with the bedspread pulled up to his shoulder, which wasn't too unusual. When Ryuuzaki did manage to fall asleep, someone –Watari, most likely– would cover him with a blanket. What_ was_ unusual was that the Raito, the boy whom Ryuuzaki could have sworn he had only dreamed about, was resting against him, his warm body molded to the shape of Ryuuzaki own colder one. One of his arms was under Ryuuzaki's head, creating a soft and living pillow, while the other was across his waist. The position was so startling, and so very much unexpected, Ryuuzaki's entire breathing halted. But no one could keep that up for long, so Ryuuzaki did manage to start breathing again. Quick, hyperventilating, heart-beating-too-quickly, breathes.

Not knowing what to think or do, Ryuuzaki started to pull away from the the seemingly sleeping boy only to be stopped when Raito's arm tightened around his waist, hugging him close. Feeling the warmth spread throughout his body, Ryuuzaki let out a small startled noise, and silently cursed his embarressing reaction. But Raito did not move, so Ryuuzaki again tried to shift out of the young man's grasp, and again Raito compensated, pulling him even closer if that was possible, nuzzling his head against Ryuuzaki's hair and breathing in a gentle sigh. This simple act forced Ryuuzaki to accept the fact that Raito was truly asleep, much to his discomfort.

"This may be a problem." Ryuuzaki muttered quietly to himself. He knew he should just wake Raito up, probably with a threat and a swift kick, but Ryuuzaki just couldn't bring himself to wake the sleeping boy beside him. Finally, after careful actions that would do a ninja proud, Ryuuzaki managed to slip out of Raito's arms. Throwing the covers off, Ryuuzaki discovered two things. He absolutely did not want to leave the warmth of Raito's arms, and he had absolutely no clothes on. Well not entirely, he still had his underwear on. A sense of cold outrage settled over him and Ryuuzaki felt his heart harden.

_Raito has some explaining to do_. Ryuuzaki gingerly placed his bare feet on the floor, shivering at the sudden chill. He very much wanted to divert his anger at Raito, or preferably throw him out the window, but right now Ryuuzaki wanted some clothes. He walked over to his dresser and opened the top drawer, took out a pair of blue pants, and quietly slipped them on. Ryuuzaki glanced behind his shoulders as he buttoned his pants up and saw that Raito was awake and sitting up, running a hand through his brown locks. He also didn't have a shirt on. "Sorry. I must have dozed off." Raito said apologetically.

Ryuuzaki looked away, a little too conscious not just of his warm brown eyes, but of the dazzling smile and bare chest that accompanied them. "Would Raito like a shirt?" Ryuuzaki asked in a level voice. "Oh, and I am very curious on how we ended up in a room together. In the same bed… without our _clothes on…_" Ryuuzaki turned around and gave Raito a meaningful cool look.

"Its not what you think." He said, rubbing at his eyelids hurriedly. Raito looked straight at Ryuuzaki, a bit guilty looking but his gaze was resolute. "You were cold, so I slipped in the bed with you to keep you warm. I didn't take advantage of the situation." He added at Ryuuzaki's narrowed eyes.

"And how would I know that?" Ryuuzaki asked with calm skepticism. At that, a wolfish smile spread across Raito's face.

"Oh, you would know. Believe me, if I had done anything, you would know…" Despite his fine upbringing, Ryuuzaki was not ignorant enough to keep a blush from spreading across his face, and a look of chagrin settled there. Upon seeing it, Raito's face softened into something close to regret.

"Ryuuzaki…" Raito climbed out of the bed and reached out a hand, but Ryuuzaki balk away from his touch. He looked down at his toes, refusing to look at Raito's face. He was not about to forgive him so easily. But Ryuuzaki did not notice him sink down to a knee and was startled to see Raito looking up at him. The serious expression on the other man's face silenced him, and Ryuuzaki stood there, warily awaiting for whatever feeble excuse Raito would come up with. But it was nothing of the sort.

"I swear upon on my honor that I did not take advantage of you. Please believe me." Raito said, sincerity ringing clear in his voice. It was then that Ryuuzaki noticed there was a large dark bruise on his cheek. Without thinking, Ryuuzaki raised his hand to touch the other boy's cheek, only to find that his hand was bound in a strange piece of cloth.

"What–?" Ryuuzaki brought his hand up to his face and examined the strange bandaging. It looked like the crude makings of a homemade binding, made of what Ryuuzaki realized was part of Raito's missing shirt. He looked sharply at Raito, who was still kneeling down like a knight, and let the confusion show on his face.

"Do you remember what happened, before you passed out?" Raito asked directly. "Anything at all?"

"No, not really…" Ryuuzaki said hesitantly. When he tried to recall the situation before his blackout, all Ryuuzaki got were blank slates. He closed his eyes, willing to remember what would not come to him. Ryuuzaki's bandaged hand throbbed painfully. "Wait… I remember someone, someone singing…" Ryuuzaki bit his finger and shook his head. That was all he could remember.

"It was the flower" Raito explained. "You cut your hand on the petals. I don't know what it did to you, but you suddenly fought me and managed to fall in the lake. I guess you passed out there. So I got you out and bandaged your hand with my shirt" Raito's voice became strained, as if in deep pain. "I… I panicked. I didn't know what to do. When I was holding you, you were so cold. Your skin was ice and your lips were blue. I couldn't think straight. All I wanted to do was to get you someplace warm, someplace safe. Then I saw the castle in the distance and ran over here. I was in such a rush I didn't even bother to go through the front door. I just scaled the walls and broke into the first window that I could reach." He ended his tale and looked up at Ryuuzaki imploringly with soft puppy-dog eyes. "I only took your clothes off because they were wet." He added as an explanation.

Ryuuzaki hesitated. He was so use to people lying, so use for people to stab him in the back, but extraordinarily enough, Ryuuzaki felt himself believing Raito, and… he felt strangely touched. This was unexpected. Ryuuzaki stared down at the boy who was looking up at him earnestly, and felt warmth bloom in his chest. "Thank you" Ryuuzaki said with a small smile.

The anguish Ryuuzaki saw in Raito's face disappeared, and the boy grinned, obviously relieved. "You're quite strong, you know that?" He said suddenly. Raito stood up, wincing at the stiffness in his legs probably, and Ryuuzaki had to tilt his head up slightly to continue eye contact. Raito was probably the same height as him, if Ryuuzaki ever attempted to straighten his back. "You gave me this lovely bruise here" Raito added, pointing to the so announced bruise.

"I'm sure you deserved it." Ryuuzaki countered with barely concealed amusement. "But you are forgiven for it. You did save me after all." Raito laughed, but slowly his face became solemn. He took Ryuuzaki's hand in his.

"Okay, I admit, what I did, take off your clothes like that, I know I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Raito brought Ryuuzaki's fingers up and tenderly kissed his hand, so softly that his lips just barely grazed his knuckles. "My apologizes" He said, and it was then that a curious expression crossed his face; it was part alluring, part licentious, and oh so tantalizingly suggestive that it made Ryuuzaki's heart speed up, but it was also part uncertain, tinged with the glimmer of shy hope.

Ryuuzaki felt a moment of unease. He only saw that same look once before, mirrored on the face of a young man from long ago. The look itself wasn't unpleasant, it was just… Ryuuzaki never had it directed at him so strongly before. "Raito, I'm sure you know I am a boy?"

Raito's gaze flickered down Ryuuzaki's body in a quick scan, bringing a small bit of heat to Ryuuzaki's cheeks, and he smiled. "Yes, I know." And then he leaned forward and kissed Ryuuzaki on the lips. It was in no ways demanding, just a simple soft pressure, but Ryuuzaki stiffened in reflex, and a turmoil of emotions raged in his chest. It was a mixture of nettled surprise and a fiery tingling sensation that seemed to course through his veins.

CRASH!

Both of them jumped at the sudden noise, which came directly behind Ryuuzaki's closed door leading out of his room and it gave time for Ryuuzaki to quickly wipe at his mouth with the back of his hand, like a child would. They stood there silently, both expecting the door to swing open. But they only heard a small shuffling noise, and the sound of someone walking off, until all was quiet once again.

Fear gripped its talon-like claws around Ryuuzaki's gut. He had forgotten, even if only for a moment, the place they were in. He had forgotten what creatures lived here. "Raito, you need to leave." Ryuuzaki said, his voice barely going over a whisper, which stated his reluctance to say those words.

"Why?" Raito asked, but Ryuuzaki shook his head and pushed him toward the window. He fumbled with the handle, with Raito staring at him in confusion, and swung it open. Ryuuzaki grabbed the other boy's arm and pulled him to the opened window.

"Go. Now."

"Wait! Ryuuzaki–!" Ryuuzaki shoved him hard, and Raito almost toppled out of the window, but just managed to grab the sill and steadied himself with one leg dangling out the window. "Hey, are you trying to kill me?!?"

"If you do not leave right now, Raito, _you very well may die._" Ryuuzaki hissed at him impatiently, and Raito stared at him with increasing confusion. Suddenly, understanding showed in Raito's eyes.

"You're afraid" He asked simply, and Ryuuzaki looked away uneasily. "You _are_. Why?"

"The people living here… do not take kindly to strangers" Ryuuzaki said, carefully picking his words. He did not want to reveal too much. "Especially to those who break into their home. They are… quick to punish." _And I should know. I have had it happen to me many times in the past._

Ryuuzaki felt Raito's gaze, a probing scrutiny, but he would not reveal any emotions on his face. Ryuuzaki would not lie, but he would not face reality. The truth hurt too much.

Suddenly, Raito reached out and lightly touched Ryuuzaki's cheek, his warm fingers gently caressing. A shudder passed through Ryuuzaki's body, and he suppressed the urge to lean into the hand. Goddess forbid Ryuuzaki show any more signs of weakness. It would be too demeaning. Ryuuzaki shifted his face into an expression of indifference, glad once again that he could manage to mask his emotions. It came in handy when he needed it. Raito's face was grave, but what he said next was far from grave. "Run away with me."

Ryuuzaki's eyes widened. "What???"

Raito, whose face looked completely serious, broke into a large grin. He leaned forward and gave Ryuuzaki a quick and chaste kiss on the cheek. "Just joking." He said, his smile teasing. Raito swung his other leg out the window and fell out of sight. Ryuuzaki almost ran forward when Raito's head popped back up, his chocolate colored eyes alight with roguish charm. "Meet me back at the lake tomorrow night?" Raito asked.

Ryuuzaki hesitated. The logical course of action would to say no, nip things in the bud shall we say, and end it before things went too far. And Ryuuzaki did not like the way he kept reacting to Raito's touch. "I would like that." Answered Ryuuzaki's traitorous mouth.

The expression on Raito's face became elated, and he smiled so infectiously that even Ryuuzaki could feel its warmth. "Great!" He said, still grinning broadly. "Is around midnight okay?"

"Uh–?" Ryuuzaki's mind was still fuzzy from the effect of Raito's smile, and it took him a moment to think semi-clearly. "I-I suppose–"

"Then it's settled." Raito interjected smoothly. "I'll see you there." And then his head disappeared out of sight. Ryuuzaki stuck his head out the window, and for one horrifying moment thought Raito had fallen, but there he was adeptly climbing down the walls with no troubles. Luckily the wall had plenty of crevices to grab onto.

Ryuuzaki did not watch Raito as he scaled down the castle walls, but instead closed the window shut. As an afterthought, he locked the latch. If Raito could scale the castle's walls whose to say someone else could manage the same feat? _I wonder if I should change my room now._

The ravened-haired lad shook his head. Actually, Ryuuzaki liked his room. It had a very nice view. He wouldn't let some _boy _force him to run away, even if it was that same boy that caused Ryuuzaki to blush and make his heart race. Idly, he brushed a few fingers against his cheek. It was still warm, and Ryuuzaki felt once again the fluttering wings he had not entirely grown accustomed to. He took a deep breath to help still the butterfly attack.

Then, all of a sudden, Ryuuzaki had a momentary premonition. He reacted instantly, and snapped his head back at the window just as a shadowy hand slammed against the window._ Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Ryuuzaki waited tensely, but all that came was another round of sound, a muffled, clenched-fist-on-glass banging. It had an impatient ring to it, or perhaps whoever was making the noise was just desperate. Considering, though, that Ryuuzaki's room was on the third floor, it wasn't at all that hard to figure out why they should be a little frightened. Ryuuzaki glared at the window. It was made of an obscuring type of glass, so he was unable to make out who his intruder was. But the fist that was making the noise was too small to be Raito's hand. Ryuuzaki immediately became suspicious. After all that had happened tonight, Ryuuzaki did not know what to expect anymore and he was reluctant to answer the intruder's announcements.

However, the insistent rapping continued, which was getting increasingly louder, and Ryuuzaki would have to come to a decision soon before the noise should attract unwanted attention.

_My room seems to be popular tonight. _He thought jadedly. _But too late too do anything now._ Feeling slightly annoyed at the fact that he was unarmed, Ryuuzaki unhooked the latch, and hoped that whatever it was was friendly. He leapt back as a small figure heaved itself through his window and landed with a graceless _thump!_ onto his floor. "Ouch…!" It muttered in a familiar silvery lilt of voice.

"…Evelyn?" The younger girl lifted her head up at the sound of her name, and Ryuuzaki was stabbed with a quick jolt of alarm. Evelyn's hair, the hair she took such care of, was unkempt and full of knots, her beautiful red vest ripped to shreds, dark stains of dirt and grass were streaked on her white shirt– which weren't looking so white right now– and there was what appeared to be dried up trails of tears on her cheeks. She looked like she had fallen into a barrel of dirt-covered knives. There was even the evidence of cuts, the faintest of red lines criss-crossed all over her exposed skin, which were already fading into nothing. "What in the world happened to you?"

Evelyn looked at her brother blankly. "I fell." She said simply, and Ryuuzaki narrowed his eyes at her blatantly told lie.

"You fell? Why is it I am having trouble believing you, Evelyn?" He asked with chilling sarcasm. The poor little habits Evelyn was beginning to acquire were starting to annoy him.

A dark emotion flashed across her features, and the younger girl quickly got to her feet. "I'm not in the mode, brother." Evelyn snapped, looking at Ryuuzaki defiantly. Then a flicker of fear flashed in her eyes and she looked over at the door. "Is Watari–?"

"No, he is away at the moment. _But_," Ryuuzaki drew out the word, letting his sister know he was not joking and the seriousness of her situation was grave. "I will be more than glad to call him this instant if you want"

Evelyn's weary stricken face gave way to full-blown panic and tears that Ryuuzaki realized were only held in check by a thread sprang from her eyes and she let out a loud whimper. Before Ryuuzaki had time to apologize or stop what was about to happen, Evelyn sobbed and started crying. Loud, hysterical, heart-retching sobs.

Ryuuzaki cringed, immediately regretting his poor actions. He awkwardly placed an arm around his sister's thin shoulders.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, I won't call Watari. Evelyn, stop crying, I'm sorry…" Ryuuzaki led the sobbing girl to a different door, not the one that opened to the outside corridor, but to the door that led to his bathroom. "Clean up and I'll bring you some clothes, okay?"

Evelyn said nothing, but sniffed and nodded. She walked through the door and Ryuuzaki gently closed it behind her. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, already feeling the beginning of a headache coming.

_More and more things to worry about. _He thought despairingly. First his confusing encounter with Raito and now this. Would any _more _problems through themselves at him? Ryuuzaki walked over to his dresser and took out an over-sized shirt for Evelyn to wear when she came out, and laid it neatly on his bed.

The sound of a faucet turning on echoed softly from behind the bathroom door, and then the muffled waterfall-like sound of water. Ryuuzaki glanced at the door, sighed heavily, and sat down on his bed. He brought his legs close to his chest and stared out the window. What _had _happened to her out there? Evelyn may be quite aggravating at times, but she was still his sister, his _little_ sister, and despite everything, Ryuuzaki was very protective of her. If anything should to have happened to her–

Ryuuzaki dug his nails into his legs, and his eyes hardened into cold slits. No, he would not let that happen. He would protect the people he loved, the few that still lived. He was Lord L, after all.

o.O.o

_An hour before…_

The night air was crisp with a frosty chill, not enough for anyone to freeze to death, but enough to give you a cold if you weren't too careful. Evelyn, a bright girl most of the time, had forgotten to bring a jacket on her little trip. But nothing to worry about. She had made a new friend, and he had given her a nice hot drink to have. She held the small flask in her hands, which heated her fingers nicely, and the drink itself was enough to keep her toasty warm. And it was very tasty too.

"Wow! It's delicious!" Evelyn said, taking another small sip. It tasted like a delightful blend of strawberries and limes. "What is it made of again?"

"The Lorelei flower" The man, whom Evelyn was beginning to like more and more, said. She could read people well, considering the sort of characters she lived with, and Evelyn could tell he was a little more relaxed with her now. He even leaned against the boulder instead of sitting straight up. "If mixed correctly, you can make this unique herbal tea out of it that eases fatigue and sore muscles, renews energy, and takes away most migraines and headaches"

"That's pretty cool" Evelyn admitted. Her headaches were gone now that she stopped to notice. "I guess it's too much to ask that I can get this in town?"

"Actually, the Lorelei flower only grows in three parts of the world" He said, much to Evelyn's disappointment. "One of them this very forest." The man added quickly, the barest hint of laughter was in his voice. Evelyn instantly cheered up.

"You mean I can make more of this later?" Evelyn asked excitedly. She just knew Ryuuzaki would like the taste of this stuff, even if he does drown it in sugar, and the medical part sounded good for Watari.

"I wouldn't if I were you." The man said, the tone of his voice immediately turning serious. "Unless made correctly, the tea you make could be deadly. The Lorelei flower is poisonous"

"Eh!?!" _Did I just drink poison?!? _But he seemed to have read Evelyn's mind.

"Don't worry, the tea is perfectly safe" He said. "But if you do see the flower you stay away from it, especially the thorns, okay? They're really poisonous"

"But you just said it was made from the thorns!!!" Okay, _now_ she was starting to panic.

"Wait, wait, and hear me out." The man said, holding his hands up in surrender. Or probably for her reassurance. "Yes, the tea is made from the Lorelei's thorns, and they _are_ poisonous, but only the tip has poison in it. The medicinal properties are in the green parts of the thorn, and I assure you that's exactly what I used."

"Okay…" Evelyn said uncertainly. She leaned against the boulder, thought against it, and sat back up. "You know, no offense or anything, but other than the medicinal part of it, the Lorelei flower doesn't sound that extraordinary. There are lots of plants that have poisoned thorns." Evelyn added superiorly.

"That's true" The man agreed. He leaned back on the boulder comfortably, and he even sounded relaxed. The stiff posture he had, shoulders rigged and hands fixed firmly to his sides, was lax. He actually sounded like he was enjoying the conversation. Then again, even Evelyn liked it. It was nice talking to a normal person for a change. Talks with her brother usually started with frequent translations with a dictionary and ended with her mind aching. "But this plant is different. Though it may have a deadly poison in its thorns, the flower has another defense against predators in its petals."

"The petals? Don't tell me there's another kind of poison in those too!" When Evelyn thought of flower petals, she pictured soft-as-silk, beautifully colored corollas– her brother taught her that word– in all sorts of wonderful shapes, sizes, and textures. Not potential poisonous hazards.

"It's not a poison really, but more of a toxin." He explained patiently.

"There's a difference?" Evelyn asked with mock scorn, and was pleased when he burst out laughing. He had a nice laugh.

"I guess another lesson is in order, dear lady" The man said, and Evelyn almost giggled aloud. _Where did 'miss' go?_ She thought gleefully, but straightened her posture into 'perfect student' mode.

"Ready, master" Evelyn said respectfully, like she would to any other of her teachers, but ruined it when she grinned.

"Here you are." He said in amusement, handing her a small leaf. "Since I don't have an actual petal from the Lorelei flower on me, you'll have to pretend this is one of them. Now on a real Lorelei petal, its entire surface is covered in tiny barbs, all of which are no bigger than a particle of dust. But the flowers are so beautiful, and they give off such an alluring scent, people don't think the petals are dangerous. Most of them think that the poison is only in the thorns. What's worse, their fingers could be ripped to shreds and they might not notice. But by then, the toxin's already in their systems"

"Ouch" Evelyn said sympathetically. She's had her fair share of scraps. "Then what? Do they die?"

"No, no, nothing as serious as that." He said. "The toxin in the petals has, at first, a delusional effect on people. Most of the symptoms vary, from running around naked to trying to drown themselves in any nearby bodies of water, but then, always, comes in the narcotic effect."

Evelyn frowned slightly as she tried to remember what 'narcotic' meant. When Evelyn did, she didn't exactly smile, but she did feel relieved. "So they don't die? They just go to sleep?"

"Yes, in a way."

"That's good isn't it? The Lorelei flower may kill with its thorns, but at least its petals aren't dangerous." Evelyn said easily. She grinned. "All you have to do is wake them up and then they'll be alright, right?"

"It depends"

"On what?"

"On how fast they're woken up" The man responded flatly. Evelyn's eyes widened at his change of tone and her smile faded away. "If you don't wake the person up soon after the toxin in their bloodstream…" He shrugged, its meaning more than clear.

A cold chill ran down her spine. "You mean… they don't wake up? Ever?"

"Exactly"

"What if…" Evelyn began hesitantly, unsure if she should finish her question. There was a chance that she wouldn't like the answer "… what if there isn't anyone else there to help them?"

The man turned his hooded face to her, and though Evelyn still couldn't see his face, there was no doubt that he gave her a remorseful look. Evelyn knew the answer before he even said it. "They die"

But she wasn't about to give up. "Couldn't they try to suck the poison out first? You know, like a snake bite?"

"They still die."

"That's not fair."

"It's not supposed to be fair, it's fact" He said frankly. "And the fact is, anyone stupid enough to even think of touching the Lorelei flower will lose their life."

Evelyn frowned. She didn't like how nonchalant he said that. It kinda pissed her off. "Well then, how do I know you didn't poison me?" She asked accusingly, quietly hoping to provoke him.

"Huh?" The man's hood was still up, so there was no way of reading him, but Evelyn heard the full amount of surprise in that one single word. It gave her only a little bit of satisfaction.

"I mean, I don't even _know_ you. How do I know I'm not gonna drop dead in a few seconds? You could have put something in here" Evelyn swung the flask in front of his face. "I'm sure none of my handlers will notice, or even care, that I'm gone. You could kill me right here and no one will be the wiser" Evelyn said, taking another swig from the flask.

What a sight she must be, accusing him of poisoning her yet continuing to drink the supposedly spiked drink. She didn't even try to use a different word anymore and used donor's words freely.

"_How could you think such a thing!?!"_

Evelyn flinched in mid-gulp, and a small amount of tea spilled down her chin. _Yikes! He sounds mad!_ "Look what you made me do" Evelyn said with meek displeasure. She could not bring herself to lift her head up. "And this is my best shirt too…"

A hand slipped under her chin and tipped her face up, and Evelyn stared at the man with abashed embarrassment, even though she couldn't see what emotion he was feeling. He took the small flask from her hands. Evelyn for a moment thought he was going to drink from the small flask, to prove her accusations wrong, but yet again Evelyn misinterpreted things. In the next instance he leaned quite close to her face and, enough so that Evelyn froze in surprise, and licked the small amount of liquid on her chin.

Evelyn shrieked in surprise and, placing both hands on his chest, shoved him hard. "Jerk!!!" She screamed furiously. Evelyn eyes shot to the spot where he had fallen and she glowered at him.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it" His hood had fallen back, and Evelyn finally got her first look at her companion. It was almost painful to look at him.

He was young, a lot younger than she first thought, maybe only a few years older than her brother. He had a handsome face, earnest and honest looking, framed by coarse dark brown hair, but he still held an adolescent air about him that made him seem diffident and sweet. There was a small white scar above his left eye that cut through his eyebrow. The strangest thing about him though, was the collar around his neck. Black leather with a complex looking clasp and lock shaped like a heart. But it was his eyes that Evelyn was drawn too. They were a beautiful grey color, like clouds just before a thunderstorm. Or wolf's pelts.

_Whoa, weird thought. Where did that come from? _Evelyn thought with sudden alarm. She shoved those thoughts aside and rubbed at the place he… _touched_… but there was nothing there. He had licked it dry. A blush of pure mortification colored Evelyn's cheeks, and she heard the man– he was more of a boy really– say, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean–"

Whatever he was going to say, an apology or something like that, Evelyn did not stick around to find out. She scrambled to her feet, her heart beating wildly, and took off into the bushes. There was a shout behind her, and Evelyn felt a small spark of panic. What if he ran after her? But as she ran between trees and over roots and rocks, she heard no sounds of pursuit. Evelyn didn't slow down, though. Only when she ran out from the cover of the trees, and found herself at the very lake that she did not go to, did Evelyn stop, panting and breathless.

_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Don't ever let your guard down like that! Ever! _Evelyn stomped her feet on the ground, imagining that she was crushing herself beneath her boot. She could just imagine what her brother would think of the situation.

"_That was quite foolish of you, Evelyn. Did you forget already? All it takes is one moment for someone to steal your breath_" It was an old vampire saying, one of the few that Ryuuzaki would actually use. To steal a person's breath is to steal their life. "_You are much too trusting sometimes_"

Tears pricked behind her eyes at the imagined rebuke. It always hurt to feel her brother's disappointment. It hurt worse than a knife in her hand. Evelyn quickly wiped at her eyes with her sleeves and only noticed then that they were streaked with dirt, which was now ironically on her face. _Great… just great…!_

Evelyn stalked to the edge of the lake, knelt down, and splashed the cold water on her face. She furiously washed away any trace of dirt until she felt like she had scrubbed her face raw. Letting the water drip-dry, Evelyn stared down at her broken reflection. If not for the red of her lips, she might have thought she was looking at a black and white painting. Black eyes that easily concealed all emotions hidden behind them, looking cold and indifferent, skin the palest of white like freshly felled snow, and hair a beautiful glossy black, as pretty as raven feathers; these were the features that marked her, as it did her lord brother, as one of the Arkwood line. With lightning speed, Evelyn struck the water and her reflection shattered.

_This really sucks. _She thought bitterly. Evelyn sat at the bank and lay back on the grass, staring up at the starry sky. She hated her looks. Everyone knew who she was the moment they saw her.

Even if she should but some color to her cheeks, like put on some rouge or colored glitter, it would never work. Whenever she greeted her kind they would know right away who she was, know that she came from one of the strongest and most feared clans, and they would fear and hate her. And Evelyn was tired of seeing fear everywhere, whether it was her own fear or someone else's. Feeling bad and going on to worse, Evelyn rolled on her side with her back to the water and closed her eyes. She would have to get back soon. The sun would be coming up any moment now.

_But I don't wanna go back._ Would her clan come after her if she tried to run away? Evelyn laughed. She could never do that to them. Besides, even if she got her brother to run away with her there was no way that Watari would leave the clan. Evelyn couldn't leave Watari behind, no more than she could leave her brother in that nest of vipers. And there were others that she had to save before she could leave, too.

Evelyn breathed in deeply, taking in the strong smell of dew on grass, when she caught the sudden blast of strawberries. Evelyn opened her eyes with placid interest, but it wasn't a strawberry bush she saw. It looked like… a flower. Evelyn sat up, her eyes widening at the sight that she saw. It _was_ a flower, but destroyed with such savagery it was if the person held a personal resentment towards the poor thing. A dark pink sap oozed out its many wounds, with the equivalence of blood, it's beautiful petals crushed and destroyed, its entire body looking like the broken corpse of a child slain, abandoned by all that once loved and treasured it; it was heartbreaking. But lying next to the flower… Evelyn leapt up, staggered clumsily, and threw herself forward and landed painfully on her knees, but she didn't notice. Something had entirely caught her shocked attention.

It was her basket. With a trembling hand, its reasons this time not caused by sadness, Evelyn lifted up the small clothe that covered it. Her face fell in dismay. It was empty, all her cakes gone, her purse gone, and her book… gone.

"_Oh, come on!!!_" Evelyn screamed. This was too much! Really now, couldn't she get even a little break?!? Evelyn doubled over, biting into her lip hard enough to draw blood, and her anger towards her werewolf thief erupted. _Damn you! Damn you! Damn you! _She raged silently. _By the goddess, if I ever find you I will make you PAY!!!!_

After a while, she stopped. Evelyn lay quietly down on the grass, her eyes tearing up slightly, with her basket lying right next to her. Sniffling, Evelyn swatted the useless thing aside. As it crashed a measly distance away, her eyes caught something white on the basket. Still lying down, Evelyn inched her head a little closer to the basket until she caught the sight of the bit of white again. Caught between a small tear in the wicker stitching was a small piece of paper. Evelyn plucked the paper from its crushing prison and stared at it curiously. There seemed to be something written on it… She sat up, smoothed the paper out on the palm of her hand, and read the small printing on it. _Go to Half-Moon Tavern. _Evelyn felt a spark of recognition at the name. She knew where that place was. It was just down the street of the bakery shop she had visited a few hours ago.

"Well, well. So this is where you'll be hiding" Evelyn got to her feet, brushed of the dirt from her pants, and rubbed her eyes. "I guess I got another field-trip tomorrow"

Suddenly, she felt really tired. It was a tiredness that seemed to turn her arms to lead and her legs to jelly. Evelyn wanted nothing more than to take a bath and crawl into her soft, warm bed. But before she could do that, Evelyn would have to somehow sneak in without anyone noticing. Watari wouldn't be too hard; she could manage to sneak in and out of the other castle they lived in before without any difficulty. It was her brother Evelyn has to worry about. There was no way she could explain how she looked without arising his suspicions. He was too sharp for any lies. _Besides,_ Evelyn thought wearily. _If I face him now I might just start crying_.

And it was never good for Evelyn's brother to catch her crying. For one thing, it would be beyond humiliating, and another… he took things too far. Nothing bad, he would never deal in murder, but enough to let his enemies know what their fates would be should they provoke him. He acted subtly in his revenges, more than enough to not get in any official trouble, but all knew his mark by now. He was, after all, Lord L. There was not one clan out there who did not know his name. Or his ways of punishments.

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**A/N: Finally! I'm done! Hazzah! Bring out the sak****é****! XD (Wait, I'm underage. Dammit!) Nah, I'm kidding. I don't even like sak****é****. ^^ Oh, and sorry if the chapter was a little too sappy, but too bad. I had just finished this super cute novel where my favorite couple got there happy ending and I was in the mood for a little sappy goodness! Besides, I'm a total romanticist! I absolutely **_**love**_** a little sweeping off the feet romance! 3 I know not the word corny! XD (I guess I read too many fairy tale romances as a kid. XP) Oh, I guess that means it was a total OOC chapter for L. *Hwaaah* Well, I don't really care. At least I did it. **

**And thanks for all the great advice, everybody! But the one where I should practice writing lemons for my stories… eh heh, if I tried I would fail miserably. ^////-////^" I'm a total spazz when it comes to lemons (or limes (what the hell is a lime?)) I blush every time I even THINK of writing anything perverted. (Darn you strict morals of mine! T^T) So … HELP ME!!!!! I need advice, pointers, anything! DX A hypnotist would be oh so helpful! If you don't, people will be finding my empty husk of a body with a severe nosebleed in a pool of blood at my computer! **

**But really, if anyone who reads my story and has written a lemon before, I gotta ask; how did you guys do it? As written before in my A/N (For anyone who even bothers to read my complaints) I'm a nooblet writer. This is my first story ever and, more importantly, my very first yaoi story. Come on, I'm embarrassed! TT///~///TT I really want to write a good story, something with a good story-line (I am writing an okay story-line, right?) but with also good-old boyxboy romance in it, but how am I suppose to do that when I blush like a damn schoolgirl and delete every frickin thing I write that's close to a lemon?!? **_**Uhhhhhhh…!**_** I feel sad. T^T **

**But I won't give up! I started this story and I'll see it to the end! Cuz quitters never prosper!!!!!! (Wait, is that the right saying?) I'll practice writing lemon scenes everyday if I have to and damn the damn the consequences! Hraaaaahh!!!!! …but I will accept any tips that anyone would like to give me. XP**

**Now that I am done ranting and releasing all the pent up emotions that I have harbored for the last few months– **_**Man do I feel better!**_**– I suppose that this is goodbye for another chapter. Thank you all for taking the time to read my story, and I hope that you leave a review expressing your approval or criticism (Pretty, pretty please with whip cream, pecan's, and a strawberry on top? =3) Hey, I know how many people have favorited this and put it on their alerts, so I'm WATCHING all of you! *Stares* O.O**

**Well then, til next time…! X3**

_**A hui hou! **_


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